JURIST - Paper Chase: US circulates UN resolution to extend Iraq force a year

[JURIST] The US has circulated a draft UN Security Council [official website] resolution that would extend the UN mandate of the 180,000-strong multinational force [official website] currently in Iraq [JURIST news archive] for another year. The US-led force was originally authorized [JURIST report] in May 2004 under UN Security Council Resolution 1546 [UN summary]. The latest draft, which the US proposed on Wednesday, is expected to draw opposition from Russia [JURIST news archive] and others on the Security Council, and it represents a departure from previous mandates, which have required renewal every six months. The current UN mandate [JURIST report] expires following parliamentary elections on Dec. 15, but it would be extended under the US draft resolution to Dec. 31, 2006. Review of the troops' presence would be allowed after eight months, however, and Iraq could request its termination. Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari [BBC profile] urged the Security Council to approve the extension in a letter earlier this week, arguing that Iraqi security forces were not yet ready to take over responsibility for maintaining security in the country. AP has more.

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