Germany Supports Lifting Iraq Sanctions

CNN News
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Friday, May 16, 2003

U.S. diplomat: Security Council vote could come next week

BERLIN, Germany (CNN) --In a move that could signal a thaw in relations between Berlin and Washington, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Friday said U.N. sanctions against Iraq don't make sense anymore and should be removed.

Schroeder's remarks followed meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Berlin.

The United States and Germany had split bitterly over the war in Iraq. The Bush administration had been displeased with Schroeder's opposition to war since last year's German elections.

"Our opinion is that the sanctions that have been placed no longer make any sense and that they should be lifted as soon as possible," Schroeder said, calling for the issue to be taken up at the next session of the United Nations in New York.

Powell welcomed the German chancellor's announcement.

"I was pleased at the chancellor's commitment to move as quickly as we can to lift sanctions entirely so that we can begin to have the flow of oil, which will generate revenue that will benefit the Iraqi people," Powell said.

While calling their talks "very frank and open," Schroeder largely sidestepped recent disagreements between the nations.

"It has been a very open and friendly exchange of opinions," the chancellor said.

Following Schroeder's comments on sanctions, Powell emphasized a degree of cooperation that had been missing between the United States and Germany in the debate leading up to the war.

"We spoke about the future how we are moving forward with respect to helping the people of Iraq to a better life," he said. "We're working together on finding a formulation for a resolution at the United Nations that will draw the support of all the members of the Security Council."

Powell heads back to Washington later Friday, completing a weeklong trip to the Middle East and Europe.

Lifting sanctions against Iraq still faces obstacles in the U.N. Security Council.

Russia and France have expressed concerns about the U.S.-sponsored draft resolution that would end sanctions and put Iraq under the control of the United States and Great Britain for at least a year. Russia and France also say U.N. inspection teams should resume their work in verifying Iraqi disarmament.

The United States revised the resolution in response to some of the issues raised by Security Council members. John Negroponte, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said he hopes for a Security Council vote on the resolution some time next week.

Meanwhile, a group of Iraqi jurists, who have been living in exile, released a blueprint Thursday for re-establishing the rule of law in Iraq.

The London-based Iraqi Jurists Association and Transitional Justice Working Group, affiliated with the U.S. State Department's Future of Iraq project, presented the 700-page document to the United Nations. An Arabic version of the report also was handed out to about 100 jurists in Baghdad.

Sermid Al-Sarraf, a Californian lawyer and a member of the Iraqi Jurists Association, described the report as a series of "recommendations, not concrete steps that the Iraqi people have to follow, but alternatives which need to be discussed."

"Ultimately it's up to the Iraqi people themselves to determine whether they want to change their legal system or not," Al-Sarraf said.

The plan calls for trying former members of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq for crimes against humanity, implementing legal reforms and restructuring Iraq's courts, police force and security apparatus.

Other developments

L. Paul Bremer, the chief U.S. administrator in Iraq, said he will meet with a group of Iraqi leaders Friday to jump-start the process of establishing an Iraqi provisional government. "I expect we will have a good open discussion on that," he said at a news conference Thursday. Bremer said the United States would move aggressively to remove remaining members of Saddam's Baath Party from positions of authority.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims gathered Thursday in central Baghdad to protest the U.S.-led administration in Iraq and called for a Shiite-dominated government in the country. Most of the protesters were from a religious school in Najaf, one of the most holy sites for Shiites. They said they suffered the most under Saddam's regime, which favored Sunni Muslims and cracked down on Shiites. Shiites make up about 60 percent of the Iraqi population.

A top Iraqi army officer and a Baath Party official of the ousted regime have surrendered to coalition custody in recent days, Central Command confirmed Thursday. Ibrahim Ahmad Abd Al-Sattar Muhammad Al-Tikriti is the former chief of staff of the Iraqi Armed Forces General Staff and Army. He is the jack of spades in the U.S. card deck with the most-wanted figures. Fadil Mahmud Gharib, a former Baath regional chairman, is also in custody. He is the three of hearts in the deck.

CNN Correspondent Jane Arraf and CNN Producers Jonathan Wald, Alina Gracheva, Liz Neisloss and Vivian Paulsen contributed to this report.

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