UN okays interim govt, US troops

The UN Security Council voted 15-0 on Tuesday to adopt a US-British resolution that formally ends the occupation of Iraq on June 30 and auth...

The UN Security Council voted 15-0 on Tuesday to adopt a US-British resolution that formally ends the occupation of Iraq on June 30 and authorises US-led troops to keep the peace.

The 15-nation body endorsed a 8216;8216;sovereign interim government8217;8217; in Iraq, following weeks of negotiations and a last-minute addition by US and Britain on military policy that France and Germany had demanded.

8216;8216;By June 30, Iraq will reassert its sovereignty, a step forward on the path towards a democratically elected government,8217;8217; said US Ambassador John Negroponte, who will become Ambassador to Iraq at the end of the month.

The UN resolution attempts to pave the way for democracy by giving a timetable for elections 8212; no later than January 31, 2005. It puts Iraq in charge of its oil proceeds and calls for the UN to help with elections, a Constitution and many other tasks.

nbsp;	New Iraqi PM not ashamed of CIA links

		nbsp;	8226; BAGHDAD: Interim Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi said on Wednesday he was not ashamed of having worked with the CIA as head of an exiled group trying to destabilise the Saddam regime. 8216;8216;We don8217;t feel ashamed of having been in touch to liberate Iraq from the evil forces of Saddam,8217;8217; Allawi said. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Allawi8217;s group sent agents to sabotage government facilities in Baghdad. 8212;Reuters	nbsp;

Control of the 160,000 US-led troops was the most contentious issue in the resolution, which authorises a multinational force under American command to 8216;8216;use all necessary measures8217;8217; to prevent violence.

The resolution also gives the Iraqi interim government the right to order US troops to leave at any time.

Meanwhile, Iraqi PM Iyad Allawi said that Iraq would need foreign troops to fight guerrillas even after the occupation formally ends on June 30. In attacks today, guerrillas killed 12 members of an Iraqi security force in Falluja. Iraqi officers said 12 men had been killed and 10 wounded in the attack on the Falluja Brigade, led by General Mohammed Latif. It was believed to be the first assault on the brigade.

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On the other hand, Iraqi Kurds, angered by omission of any reference to an interim Constitution guaranteeing them autonomy, said they might quit Allawi8217;s new government in protest. 8216;8216;If the leadership calls on us to withdraw from the government, we will do so,8217;8217; said Public Works Minister Nasreen Berwari.