| By Irwin Arieff
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council voted
unanimously on Tuesday to let the U.S.-led multinational force
in Iraq remain in place through the end of 2006, as requested
by Iraq's government.
Without council action, the mandate of the force, which now
numbers about 178,000 soldiers, would have run out on December
31, when a democratically elected government is to take power
in Baghdad under a new constitution approved October 15.
Parliamentary elections have been set for December 15.
The resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-nation council
authorized the new Iraqi government to terminate the force
mandate, or have the council review it, at any time it chooses
before the end of 2006.
The measure also requires Iraq to keep depositing the money
from its oil sales into an international account monitored by
an outside watchdog, to demonstrate it is using its oil wealth
for the benefit of its people.
The Security Council set up the account, and created a
monitoring board to watch over it, in May 2003, to ensure the
U.S.-led occupation did not misuse Iraqi resources.
The resolution also allows the multinational force to
continue taking and holding its own prisoners in Iraq.
U.S. forces now hold nearly 14,000 detainees in Iraq,
including 5,074 at Abu Ghraib prison where photographs of
prisoner abuse shocked the world. Iraqi critics say U.S.
military detentions are too arbitrary and too long.
"This is part of the operational rules of the multinational
force and this is a subject of continued coordination between
the Iraqi government and the multinational force," said Iraqi
Ambassador Samir Shakir Sumaidaie after the vote when asked
about the issue of U.S. prisoners.
"The political process is moving forward. We will succeed,
and we will defeat the terrorists in Iraq and we will build a
new country based on the principles of the rule of law,
respect for human rights and equality for all," said Sumaidaie,
who earlier this year accused U.S. Marines of killing his
cousin in cold blood during a search of the cousin's home.
"This tragic event is only one example of many. Transitions
in countries which have suffered for a long time are generally
messy and real human tragedies take place," Sumaidaie told
reporters referring to the June 25 death of 21-year-old
Mohammed al-Sumaidaie near the western town of Haditha.
| "What we will have to ensure is to build a country
in which such tragedies don't happen and can be
avoided," he said.
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton termed the council's
unanimous vote "a vivid demonstration of broad
international support for a federal, democratic,
pluralist and unified Iraq."
While there had been "substantial progress" in
helping build up and train the Iraqi security forces
to take on increasing responsibilities, "there is
still much work to be done on that front," he
acknowledged.
The multinational force is dominated by the United
States, with some 157,000 troops, according to the
Pentagon. Another 21,500 troops come from U.S.
coalition partners including about 8,500 from Britain.
The force has suffered steady casualties and
constant attacks by Iraqi insurgents and foreign
fighters.
U.S. President George W. Bush has refused to set a
timetable for the troops' withdrawal, despite mounting
domestic pressure to do so, saying that would only
encourage their foes to try to wait it out.
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