UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - In a stark rejection of American proposals, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) made clear on Thursday the United Nations (news - web sites) could not play a proper political role in Iraq (news - web sites) under terms Washington wanted, U.N. officials and diplomats reported.
"What we need is a coherent and workable mandate," a senior U.N. official told Reuters. "What we do not want is an unimplementable mandate reached on the basis of a false consensus in the council."
In his remarks to reporters, Annan said the draft resolution had not followed his recommendation of setting up an interim Iraqi government before a constitution was written and new elections were held.
Instead, the resolution makes clear the U.S.-led occupation authorities would control Iraqi civilian life until elections could be held and a constitution written, a process that might take two years.
The new resolution would ask the United Nations to assist the U.S.-appointed 25-member Iraqi Governing Council, in cooperation with the occupation authorities, in preparing a constitution and holding elections.
One envoy quoted Annan as saying that either the U.S.-led coalition or the United Nations should be in charge of the political process but that blurring the lines was dangerous.
"You can really only have one person behind the driving wheel and that is the coalition," said the senior official. "This is an either-or situation and it does not make sense to play a political role it is not able to play."
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