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Stability: U.S. plans deployment of global force in Iraq

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington may 3. The United States is planning an International Stabilisation Force for Iraq with the contingent coming from at least six European countries. According to one version, the force is going to be in three regions with Poland, the U.S. and Britain in charge of one region each.

The Bush administration has not come out with the specifics of the proposals which are still being worked out in Washington and European capitals. The U.S. and Britain, at the same time, are also working on a Security Council resolution that gives the world forum a say in humanitarian affairs but nothing on the peacekeeping front.

U.N. officials have said that some of its functional agencies are inside Iraq handling humanitarian issues; and that the forum has little to no interest in the policing of Iraq. The Bush administration has made no effort in hiding its opposition to any expanded role for the U.N., over and beyond on the humanitarian front. For the record, the U.S. is still maintaining that the U.N. will play a `role' but what this role could be is yet to be openly formulated. And there are those like France, Germany and Russia who were totally opposed to the American war in Iraq and now do not wish to see Washington having a free run in the post conflict phase. As far as the international stabilisation force for Iraq, one thinking is that the American contribution could be in the neighbourhood of one division which is about 20,000 troops with the strength of the other two sectors to be in the control of Britain and Poland yet to be determined. Further, it is said that Italy, Spain, Ukraine, Denmark, The Netherlands and Bulgaria will also be contributing troops.

The overall charge for the stabilisation force for Iraq will be Gen. Tommy Franks. The U.S. would like to bring down its troop strength in Iraq and with this the kind of visibility that is now there. The force is intended not to replace the coalition forces but to augment their presence and take over the functions of providing security and stability. This will then free up the American troops to look for remnants of the Saddam Hussein regime.

The full-fledged stabilisation force for Iraq could take some time as planning is said to be extensive and one that involves many more nations than the major troop contributors or the six European nations.

In fact, many in the Asia Pacific and the Arab world are keen on being a part of the exercise in Iraq in a variety of ways including in the setting up of hospitals and donating money even if some are reluctant to send in troops for reasons of politics and religion.

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