UN: Despite the United Nations' call for more technical discussions before it decides whether to send a political mission to Iraq, diplomats and UN officials say it is now almost inevitable that one will go.
But negotiations yet to be conducted on the exact role the UN will play in coming months will be complex. Talks will have to address to what degree the UN will have carte blanche to make independent recommendations, and how clearly all parties will commit themselves to abiding by its decisions.
On Monday, officials say, both the coalition and Iraqi representatives presented an impressively unified call for UN involvement, and the presence of Mr Paul Bremer, US civilian administrator in Iraq, sent a powerful message about America's willingness to talk. Mr Abdul Aziz Hakim, speaking for Shia leader Ayatollah Ali Sistani, claimed he would "respect" the UN's findings.
Mr Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, is under no illusions that this masked a plethora of calculations about what his intervention might achieve. "There was a wonderful unanimity about what was said in the meeting, but the statements were probably based on assumptions not necessarily shared," said a UN official. "There still needs to be a good deal of sounding and exploration; a lot of telephoning, as people try to work out each others' positions."
There are questions over how much freedom the UN would have, and if there is any possibility that the June 30th deadline for the handover of sovereignty would slip.
"We didn't really get that far [on those questions] yesterday," the official said.
The UN says that a security team, due to leave within the next week, will need to be in place before a technical team arrives. That will probably comprise experts from the UN's electoral assistance division, headed by Ms Carina Perelli. But while important, analysts say it is something of a smokescreen for higher-level political talks.
A prime opportunity for direct meetings will come at this week's World Economic Forum at Davos, which will be attended by Mr Annan, senior members of the US administration, a range of Iraqis and possibly Mr Bremer. - (Financial Times)
Guerrillas fired a projectile believed to be a rocket at the compound housing the US-led administration in Baghdad yesterday and there were unconfirmed reports that one person was wounded, the US army said.
A military spokesman said the missile landed close to the Rasheed hotel, a building inside the "Green Zone" where the civilian and military administration in Iraq is based. - (Reuters)