WP: Diplomats Say U.N. Pact Still Is Feasible

[kskiska]

U.N. Security Council approval of a multilateral force in Iraq under American command appears to be within reach of the Bush administration, but details of political arrangements in Baghdad remain undecided, diplomats and U.S. officials said yesterday.

Although a number of governments want the White House to give more power sooner to the United Nations and the Iraqi authorities, there is a reluctance to replay the bitter prewar battles that could end in a stalemate or a veto of a U.S.-sponsored resolution.

A larger doubt, if the administration prevails, is that the result will not deliver the troops, civilian experts or financial contributions sought by President Bush to bolster the Iraq rebuilding operation and relieve the burden on U.S. forces and taxpayers.

"There's a worry that it won't produce a fast dividend," said one U.S. official who described talks with Pakistan, India and Turkey, which have declined to contribute troops without a U.N. mandate. "There's just an incredible amount of pressure to get those countries to deliver."

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21561-2003Sep16.html