Western Allies Press U.S. to Give Iraqis Real Power

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040514/wl_nm/iraq_g8_dc&cid=574&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Major Western powers pressed the United States on Friday to transfer real power to Baghdad at the planned June 30 handover, a transfer Washington says will return sovereignty to Iraqis but which critics say allows only limited self-rule.

Italy, a staunch U.S. ally with troops in Iraq (news - web sites), said Iraqis should have some say over U.S. military decisions -- a stance at odds with the Pentagon (news - web sites)'s insistence it has authority to establish security as it sees fit.

The United States, which hosted the foreign ministers of the Group of Eight in Washington, hopes to hammer out a U.N. resolution to win a stamp of approval for its planned handover.

Under an agreement with the U.S.-picked Iraqi Governing Council, which has been representing Iraq during the American occupation, 135,000 American troops will remain in Iraq and retain command over all local security forces after June 30.

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[struggle4progress]

1. This won't happen under *

Last August, Washington Post reported US was recruiting from Saddam's Mukhabarat secret police.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A37331-2003Aug23?language=printer

It looks like *'s policy will recreate a police state controlled by US, instead of by local tyrant.