US, Britain refuse to give Iraqis veto over major military operations

The United States and Britain introduced their final version of the UN draft resolution on Iraq on Monday, which does not give the interim Iraqi government a veto over sensitive major military operations of the US-led multinational force.

The new draft, obtained by Xinhua, says the multinational force,mostly US troops, would act in accordance with an agreement reached between the interim Iraqi government and Washington, which calls for "close coordination" between the two sides.

The draft does not accommodate the proposal put forward by France on Sunday that the multinational force's major military operations require assent of the Iraqi government.

But the new text, the fourth in two weeks, specifies that Iraqi security forces, including the Iraqi armed forces, would operate under the authority of the interim government.

The United States has indicated its readiness to put the new draft to a vote at the United Nations Security Council late on Tuesday.

Source: Xinhua