Iraq and the US tried to clear the way for passage of a new UN resolution by devising a plan for military partnership when the US-led occupation ends officially on June 30.
US Ambassador John Negroponte, who hopes for a vote in the 15-nation Security Council today, said a revised draft, the fourth in two weeks, was to be introduced yesterday.
The one hitch that might prevent quick adoption of the US-British measure on Iraq's future is a proposed amendment from France stating explicitly that Iraqi consent would be needed for any major military offensives by US-led forces.
But diplomats said it was doubtful Washington would agree to the language France had suggested.
Yesterday, Russia also said it still had reservations, but was pleased at changes in the amended resolution.
"Intensive diplomatic consultations ... have led to further positive changes in the Anglo-American draft resolution," Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov told Interfax news agency.
"Nevertheless, there are still some issues to be agreed further."
The control of the 160,000 US-led troops has been the most contentious issue in the resolution, which gives international endorsement to the interim government and authorizes a multinational force under American command.
At a special session on Sunday, the Security Council received separate letters from US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Iraq's new prime minister, Iyad Allawi.
"We're confident that they do the trick," said Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of Britain. He said his government understood that "the policy on sensitive offensive operations will require the assent" of a new Iraqi ministerial committee.
But the letters do not spell that out, prompting France, backed in part by China, Germany, Algeria and Chile, to request that the resolution make clear Iraq can block a major campaign, such as the American assault on Fallujah, which Iraqis opposed.
There was also no hint the changes would accommodate the Kurds, who are threatening to quit the government unless the UN resolution endorses the autonomy granted to them under a law passed in March to serve as Iraq's interim constitution.
"We are not bluffing here, we are serious -- it's the right of our people," Nechirvan Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq, said on Sunday.
Allawi announced yesterday that the Kurds and other Iraqi factions had agreed to disband their militias, in a deal that effectively outlaws fighters loyal to a rebel Shiite cleric.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
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