27 April 2004
Senators Study Negroponte's Nomination as Ambassador to Iraq
Members call for greater U.N. involvement following June 30 transition
By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- Both Republican and Democratic senators underscored the importance of achieving broader international support for the stabilization and reconstruction of Iraq as they considered President Bush's nomination of John Negroponte for the position of U.S. ambassador to Iraq.
The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations met April 27 to hear Negroponte's testimony before passing a recommendation regarding his nomination to the floor of the Senate later this week.
Calling the post "one of the most consequential ambassadorships in American history," Committee Chairman Richard Lugar (Republican from Indiana) welcomed the nomination of Negroponte, who currently serves as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, saying "the contacts and credibility that he has developed at the United Nations will be invaluable."
He continued, "If we are to be successful in Iraq, the United Nations and the international community must play a more central role. U.N. involvement can help us generate greater international participation, improve the political legitimacy of the interim Iraqi government, and take the American face off the occupation of Iraq."
Ranking Democratic committee member Senator Joseph Biden (of Delaware) echoed Lugar's sentiments, telling Negroponte, "It would be a profound mistake in my view to compound our military presence with the perception that the caretaker government to whom we're handing over sovereignty is taking its political cues from you. You should not become the new proconsul once Ambassador Bremer leaves."
He added, "There must be a fundamental change in the circumstance of the Iraqi people on June 30, and that change must be for them to see that we are no longer the only outfit calling all the shots."
Negroponte appeared to be sensitive to the senators' concerns. In his opening remarks, he stated, "The prospect of legitimacy that the United Nations can bring to the process of political reconciliation is a point of crucial interest in both the region and the broader international community. With an expanded United Nations role in the political arena, I believe that it will be easier to generate the international support that the successful rehabilitation of Iraq requires."
He further affirmed, "My role in Iraq will be fundamentally different from that of Ambassador Bremer. Whereas the CPA [Coalition Provisional Authority] is the ultimate political authority in Iraq, the Embassy will be in a supportive, as opposed to a commanding, role."
Negroponte also indicated that he intends to use his present position at the United Nations to lay the groundwork for broader international involvement following the transition.
He said, "A robust multinational force presence will be critical, and I will work hard in my current capacity to obtain continued [U.N.] Security Council authorization for such a force."
Biden said that despite past disagreements, the major world powers "have a serious stake in the outcome, which I'm assuming and hoping that, with serious diplomacy of the caliber that you can provide, may very well get them in the game in a way that they haven't been so far."
Negroponte indicated that his discussions with diplomats at the United Nations had led him to believe that this sort of cooperation could be achieved. "Once sovereignty has been restored, once that transitional government has been established, these governments have signaled that they will be more open and more amenable to looking for ways to be helpful," he said.
Senator Chuck Hagel (Republican from Nebraska) pressed the ambassador to comment on the degree of sovereignty that Iraqis can realistically hope to see following the June 30 transition.
Negroponte responded, "As far as I'm concerned, when June 30 rolls around, the exercise of sovereignty is going to be restored to the government and people of Iraq. There happens to be an area where they are not yet in a position to fully exercise their powers. That is in the security area. But I don't want to use any kind of terminology that would in any way belittle the responsibilities that are going to be taken over by the newly appointed sovereign government of Iraq."
He added, "We're going to work toward the day -- and hope that it comes as early as possible -- that the Iraqis are in a position to take responsibility for their own security, but they're not in a position to do that at this moment."
Senator Biden said that he was "encouraged" by the ambassador's remarks before the committee, adding "I believe you are moving in a direction that gives us an opportunity for the first time in a year to actually put together a genuine multilateral, multinational fighting force ... if we back it up -- unrelated to the U.N. -- with bilateral intense negotiations with the players to actually flesh out this force in a way that it's not only an American face."
The Foreign Relations Committee is expected to approve the nomination of Negroponte April 29 and pass its recommendation to the floor of the Senate where it will likely be considered the following week.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=April&x=20040427173330ndyblehs9.145755e-02&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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