Not Your Sweetie

Oil is ours, but UN can pay costs


The United States will not cede control of Iraq to the United Nations if and when it
overthrows President Saddam Hussein, Secretary of State Colin Powell says.

"We didn't take on this huge burden with our coalition partners not to be able to
have a significant dominating control over how it unfolds in the future," Powell told a
House of Representatives subcommittee.

"We would not support ... essentially handing everything over to the U.N. for
someone designated by the U.N. to suddenly become in charge of this whole
operation," he added.

"We have picked on a greater obligation -- to make sure there is a functioning Iraqi
government that is supported by the coalition, the centre of gravity remaining with
the coalition, military and civilian," he said.

Powell said the United Nations should, however, have a role in a post-Saddam Iraq,
if only because it makes it easier for other countries to contribute to reconstruction
costs. ---