British Prime Minister Tony Blair, President Bush's chief ally in Iraq, said Tuesday that as of June 30 the new Iraqi government will have veto power over some military operations by coalition troops in Iraq.
Blair, going further than President Bush went in his speech Monday night, told a news conference in London that "if there's a political decision as to whether you go into a place like Fallujah in a particular way, that has to be done with the consent of the Iraqi government and the final political control remains with the Iraqi government. That's what the transfer of sovereignty means," he said.
"That doesn't mean to say that our troops are going to be ordered to do something that our troops don't want to do," he told reporters. "The political control shifts, the operational issues have to be decided under various agreements . . . it may be decided on an operation-to-operation basis."
But he was emphatic that "the change of sovereignty is a change of sovereignty. That is my position and the position of the U.S. government."
Bush, in his speech and in the proposed resolution submitted to the U.N. Security Council, left open such sensitive questions as what happens if Iraqis do not want foreign forces to launch new offensives, for example.
And those questions--the extent of real Iraqi authority after June 30--the date set for a limited turnover of authority from the U.S. led Coalition Provisional Authority--has emerged as a major issue in the U.N. Security Council, which is being asked to give its imprimatur to the post-June 30 design.
The resolution would authorize U.S.-led multinational forces to "use all necessary measures" to keep the peace and fight terrorist elements challenging the interim government. Its mandate would be subject to review by the Security Council within 12 months or by a transitional Iraqi government to be elected by January 2005.
France, Germany, Russia and China have expressed misgivings about the resolution, saying it does not offer full sovereignty to Iraqis. Envoys from those governments said the resolution would not resolve many key political issues, including the extent of Iraqis' control over their security forces in the months ahead and the duration of the multinational force's stay in Iraq.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said the new Iraqi government "must be able to make decisions over security issues, or else it won't be truly sovereign," wire services reported Tuesday.
France has said the resolution should make clear the interim government has a say over what actions are taken by U.S.-led forces once sovereignty was handed over next month.
It also wants the new Iraqi government that will emerge from subsequent elections to be able to decide whether international forces remain in the country.
Russia's Interfax news agency said Tuesday that Russia wants further work on the resolution, which it says leaves many questions unanswered, the Reuters news agency reported, quoting a Foreign Ministry source.
"The document leaves Russia and other members of the Security Council asking many questions and needs further work," Interfax reported.
The 15-nation Security Council will resume negotiations on the draft on Wednesday. U.S. and British officials said they hope to have the resolution adopted by early next month.
Blair said that transferring "operational authority" for security to Iraqis was essential to convincing the Iraqi public that coalition military initiatives were in their interest, rather than in the interest of an occupying power.
Now, he said, "every time there is an operation by British or American troops to restore order, this can be presented" as the action of an occupier.
That, he said, allows violent "elements" to be seen as an anti-occupation force rather than as anti-democratic force. A shift of responsibility for security decisions should make the true motives of insurgents "very visible to people."
Also Tuesday, the president of the Iraqi Governing Council said Tuesday that a proposal U.S.-British blueprint for a post-occupation Iraq falls short of expectation, wire services reported.
Ghazi Mashal Ajil Yawer did not elaborate when he spoke to reporters after a meeting of the U.S.-appointed body. He said the council welcomed President Bush's statement Monday night at the Army War College that the occupation will end on June 30 as expected.
On the draft blueprint submitted to the U.N. Security Council, al-Yawer said: "We found it less than our expectations."
He said he hoped that input from the Governing Council would be incorporated into the final version of the resolution.