The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution Thursday aimed at attracting aid to stabilize Iraq.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the vote "a great achievement." "We have come together to help the Iraqi people and put all of our differences of the past in the past," Powell said in Washington.
Earlier, Germany, France and Russia said Thursday they will vote in favor of the U.N. resolution in an attempt to restore international solidarity to the reconstruction drive.
The decision, declared by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at a European summit in Brussels, marked a dramatic shift by the three European states.
But French officials said the European support would not translate into the funds and military forces sought by the Bush administration to ease the burden of US troops in Iraq.
"We agreed that the resolution is really an important step in the right direction," Schroeder said after a 45-minute conference call with presidents Jacques Chirac of France and Vladimir Putin of Russia. "Many things have been included from what we proposed. This led us ... to jointly agree to the resolution."
Putin said the leaders had agreed on a common position, but didn't give details, The AP reported.
Meanwhile, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel reported on Thursday that four Jordanians were killed by US forces west of Baghdad. According to this report, the Jordanian car tried to avoid a checkpoint and its passengers were shot by the US troops. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
