07 April 2003
Iraq's Recovery Is Subject of Bush, Blair Meeting
(State Department Report, April 7: Interim authority, U.N. role, oil) (720) By Jane Morse Washington File Staff Writer Iraq's recovery from decades of repression under Saddam Hussein will be the focus of meetings April 7-8 in Belfast between President George Bush and Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair, the State Department says. "They'll be looking at the future of Iraq as well as the peace process in Northern Ireland and the peace process for the Middle East," State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker said at the April 7 daily noon briefing. The U.S. vision for an Iraqi interim authority is that it should be representative of all the groups in Iraq, Reeker said. "It should include members of the exile community who have worked very hard over a number of decades for the liberation of Iraq, for the freedom of the Iraqi people; it should also include people inside Iraq," he said. But he cautioned that "it's a little premature to be speculating as to exactly how that's going to play out, because obviously, we have to see what the situation on the ground is going to be." The U.S. hope is that once hostilities cease, an Iraqi interim authority can be up and running as quickly as possible, the deputy spokesman said. "In the meantime, of course, we'll be working to fulfill all the responsibilities in terms of security and seeing that the humanitarian needs at the beginning of reconstruction are fulfilled," Reeker said. To this end, the United States has established the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance within the Department of Defense to coordinate the efforts of multiple U.S. agencies and departments, he said. Operations will include helping Iraqis restore electricity, water, and deliver basic medical care. Heading up the operation is Jay Garner, a retired U.S. Army general. In 1991 after Dessert Storm, Garner helped the people of Northern Iraq establish their own administration. Possible roles for the United Nations also will be a topic for the Belfast talks, Reeker said. He noted that, beginning with the statement that the president and Prime Minister Blair made during their March 16 summit in the Azores, the United States has made clear that it wanted to see a role for the United Nations in Iraq. "In that regard, we welcome the appointment this afternoon of a special adviser for Iraq that the secretary-general has announced," the deputy spokesman said. As for the future of Iraq's oil fields, especially those in Mosul and Tikrit, Reeker said: "We've been working closely with Iraqi-Kurdish groups, as we have with so many other groups inside and outside of Iraq, looking at the future of Iraq. Mr. Khalilzad, the president's special envoy, has certainly had regular contacts, as have others, with Iraqi-Kurdish groups and works with them quite well." Ultimately, Reeker said, Iraq's oil "will be something that has to be determined by the Iraqi people. It belongs to them ... as a nation, and will be a very valuable resource for them in reconstruction and claiming back something that Saddam Hussein has misused and misdirected for over two decades." Reeker also noted that once the regime is gone, the new Iraq will have an opportunity to have "a media that's responsible to its citizens, that provides them with true information, provides them with facts and opportunities to know about the outside world." As to the continued broadcasts generated by Saddam's propaganda machine, Reeker observed: "In the dying gasps of this regime, there's a lot of hot air still coming from the minister of information in terms of ... bizarre attempts to deny reality on the ground around Baghdad." Regarding reports of an attack April 7 on Russian diplomats who were driving out of Baghdad toward Syria, Reeker said the U.S. Central Command is investigating the incident. "We don't know what happened or whose forces were involved, and Central Command is trying to establishing those facts," he said, adding, "We've been in contact with Russian authorities at many levels." "Let me reiterate that if U.S. forces were involved in any way, there was certainly no intention to cause harm to Russian personnel," Reeker said. He noted that the Russian convoy has now arrived in Syria. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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