Newsweek : Short on Friends

[charrison]

Originally posted by: SuperTool
What exactly will this resolution accomplish?
It says, go ahead and contribute troops and money to be used under US discretion in Iraq if you want to. Well, noone is stopping anyone from doing it now. Poland is in coalition of the willing. So there is no point in stopping this resolution, because it changes precisely nothing.

Actually India and turkey need a UN resolution for political cover before they can help.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: sandorski
France didn't overplay nor have they changed their position, this is a fantasy to save Bush Admin face. France merely stated that it wouldn't stand in the way of a UN Resolution concerning the UNs' involvement in Iraqi reconstruction.

The french have changed their position on the time frame for a resolution.

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

France is not so much coming on board, but more of getting out of the way. Once a UN resolution passes, we can likely get assistance from india, russia and turkey.

Yahoo

Bush's failure to win a promise of fresh soldiers in meetings with the leaders of India and Pakistan -- aides said the president did not even ask -- increased the difficulty the United States will have in assembling another division of foreign troops in Iraq, which senior Pentagon (news - web sites) officials say is the minimum needed to relieve overstretched U.S. forces.


In testimony on Capitol Hill today, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said, "We're not going to get a lot of international troops with or without a U.N. resolution. I think somewhere between zero and 10,000 or 15,000 is probably the ballpark."

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Today, as leaders from Pakistan and Turkey raised fresh concerns about supplying soldiers, senior administration officials sought to reduce expectations for foreign help and an imminent Security Council resolution.

Similarly, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told a forum in New York today that more control should be turned over to Iraqis if Turkish troops are going to participate. "We want Iraq to be ruled by Iraqis," Gul said.

I guess that puts a fork in your India, Pakistan, and Turkey theory . . . and don't hold your breath for Russia. I hope we get help b/c Iraq needs it but Bush is far from Mr. Personality these days.

 

[sandorski]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: sandorski
France didn't overplay nor have they changed their position, this is a fantasy to save Bush Admin face. France merely stated that it wouldn't stand in the way of a UN Resolution concerning the UNs' involvement in Iraqi reconstruction.

The french have changed their position on the time frame for a resolution.

The French have always been willing to compromise. Even before the war they were willing to as well, it is/was the Bush admin that isn't/wasn't.