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Translation of Der Spiegel Article about German-French UN Initiative for Iraq
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by Scott Mincey
I translated the article from der Spiegel, the German newsmagazine. It is the same article that is referred to in the BuzzFlash item.
"White House Reportedly Furious that France and Germany are Offering a Plan that Might Avert War"
The original is here:
http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/0,1518,234330,00.html
Here is my translation:
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Translation of article from Der Spiegel:
"Old Europe" plans invasion of UN peacekeepers in Iraq
Germany and France are working on an alternative plan for the disarmament of Iraq. UN peacekeepers would occupy the country and guarantee the security of the weapons inspectors according to German newsmagazine Der Spiegel. The invasion would take place with German involvement. At the moment the secret plan is being discussed with Russia and China.
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Berlin - This was something that US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld most likely could hardly have reckoned with. While he eloquently advocated at the Munich safety conference for a hard-line position against Saddam Hussein, the country he earlier dismissed as the hesitant "old Europe" was secretly planning the invasion -- an invasion with German participation.
Germany and France, in a diplomatic tour de force are making a last-ditch attempt to preserve peace in the gulf. They're working on a plan for the complete disarmament of Iraq. The secret project "Mirage" provides for thousands of armed blue helmet soldiers of the United Nations to march into Iraq, in order to enable the inspectors' work. Under their protection the inspectors could carry out a colossal "house-to-house" search" of the entire country.
The UN peacekeepers would take over actual control of the country for several years and would guarantee a "durable disarmament regime" - again with German participation: "If this idea of a robust disarmament regime takes hold, then Germany is ready, said a cabinet member to the Spiegel.
Since the beginning of the year the French and German administrations have been working on a disarmament model. "Just saying 'no' is no longer sufficient," said Schroeder in an internal discussion. According to the concept, which was possibly to be introduced as a draft resolution to the security council, all of Iraq would be declared a no-fly zone. French Mirage IV reconnaissance planes would support the work of the inspectors, who would be tripled in number.
The Mirage jets equipped with special monitoring cameras would receive support from German Luna drones and American U2-spyplane according to the plan. A central coordination center in Iraq, possibly under the command of chief inspector Hans Blix would supervise the inspections. The 200.000 US soldiers who are stationed around Iraq would remain in position as a threat of force to protect the peaceful invasion.
According to the plan Iraq would become practically a UN protectorate with Saddam as the ruler only in name. If moderate forces in the country were to strengthen and Saddam's regime implodes such a development would be welcomed. However that would not be the goal of this exercise, according to an advisor of the Chancellor.
Control of the regime would be tightened by a closely linked network of sanctions. Included would be increased export controls in the industrialized nations as well as international agreements with Iraq's neighbors in order to prevent oil smuggling, one of the most important sources of income of the regime. The plan is presently being sounded out with several critics of US strategy, among them the greek prime minister/current EU president Kostas Simitis, Russian president Vladimir Putin and the chinese president-designate Hu Jintao.
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