UN to demand a quick turnover in Iraq

By Steve Gilliard

UN chief 'seeks Iraqi handover'

The United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan is set to call for a swift handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi people, the BBC has learned.

The recommendations are contained in a report due to be presented to the UN Security Council next week, a copy of which has been obtained by the BBC.

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The BBC's UN correspondent, Greg Barrow, says the report paints a picture of a country in which the lack of security remains the primary concern for most Iraqis and where the people remain anxious about what role they will play in determining their political future.

In further signs of discontent, hundreds of Iraqis have joined demonstrations against the country's new governing council, which met for the first time this week.

The protests came after Friday sermons in which both Sunni and Shia clerics strongly criticised the American-appointed council, saying it did not represent the Iraqi people.

This is going to be a problem for Blair, more than Bush, for the moment.

Posted July 19, 2003 01:03 AM