February 27, 2004

IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS PRECEDE THE DECISION TO HOLD ELECTION AND THE FUTURE OF THE US OCCUPATION IN IRAQ. PRESIDENT BUSH: I RESPECT THE SAUDI CROWN PRINCE BECAUSE HE IS A MAN OF GREAT FAITH AND GREAT INTEGRITY. THE UN MISSION TO IRAQ WARNS FROM A CIVIL WAR AND FROM REPEATING WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN LEBANON AND ALGERIA. BREMER: AMERICA INTENDS TO HANDOVER THE POWER TO AN INTERIM IRAQI ADMINISTRATION BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT JULY. EUROPE SEES IN THE INITIATIVE OF CROWN PRINCE ABDULLAH IBN ABDUL AZIZ A REAL SPACE FOR CO-EXISTENCE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. The United States is negotiating with its European allies to win their support for its plans to promote democracy across the Middle East. US officials were encouraged by German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer's comments Reports in two American papers, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, say the Bush administration is planning to unveil the final proposal at a series of international summits this June. This comes a year after the US clashed with leading European nations over its plans to invade Iraq. The details are still being worked on, but it's thought the initiative will call on Arab governments to carry out big political reforms, improve the rights of its citizens - especially women - and introduce economic reforms. In return, they would form partnerships with Western nations in a number of areas, including aid, trade and security, with NATO possibly playing a prominent role. But with transatlantic relations still bruised after the Iraq war, the Bush administration is going to have a hard time winning over European sceptics about its multilateral approach. This is especially the case because its peace plan for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has failed to stop the bloodshed there - and US troops in Iraq are coming under daily attacks. And it will have an even harder time winning over the Arab world - where there is widespread suspicion about America's intentions. However, US officials say they were encouraged by comments made by the German Foreign Minister, Joschka Fischer, at the weekend. He said both the US and the European Union would lose if they didn't act together to modernise and stabilise the Middle East. But he also insisted he'd been right to oppose the war in Iraq last year. The American plan is loosely modelled on the 1975 Helsinki accords, which were used to press for freedom in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. The German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has called for the US and Europe to co-operate on a new peace initiative in the Middle East. He told a security conference in Munich that military might was not the answer. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the pre-emptive US-led war in Iraq to the same annual gathering. But Fischer and Rumsfeld did not trade the barbs of last year when the US found itself at odds with Germany and France just weeks before the war. Both men said they still held the opinions of last year, but both seemed prepared to move forward, correspondents said. "We were not and are still not convinced of the reasons for war," Fischer told the audience, which included Rumsfeld. He acknowledged calls for NATO to take to play a stabilisation role in Iraq, but said Germany would not send troops. Our concerted efforts to foster peace and security are doomed to failure if we believe that only security issues matter NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the transatlantic defence group should not "abdicate from its responsibilities" if asked to send help to Iraq. But Fischer said armed force alone could not solve all problems particularly when faced with "destructive jihad terrorism with its totalitarian ideology". "Our concerted efforts to foster peace and security are doomed to failure if we believe that only security issues matter," he said, saying a new direction was needed and should be taken soon. "Neither the United States nor Europe and the Middle East itself can tolerate the status quo in the Middle East any longer." He suggested a merging of NATO and European Union efforts and then a broader pact with Arab nations. When he took the stage, Rumsfeld defended the Bush administration's use of pre-emptive war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq. ''I know in my heart and my brain that America ain't what's wrong with the world.'' Neither he nor Fischer referred specifically to the failure so far to find any of Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destructions which were used as a key justification for the war by the US and UK. And Rumsfeld stuck to the arguments of a year ago, when he received a frosty welcome in Munich after saying anti-war France and Germany were becoming less relevant as "old Europe" whereas pro-war countries in former Soviet bloc were gaining in importance. "If someone is going to throw a snowball at you, you may not want to act pre-emptively. You can afford to take the blow and do something after the fact," he said. "As you go up the scale from snowballs to the weapon of mass destruction, at some point... there's not going to be a snowball in your face but a biological weapon that can kill tens of thousands of human beings... "The greater the danger, the lower the threshold for action." Rumsfeld also rejected suggestions that the US was simply marching to the beat of its own drum. "I know in my heart and my brain that America ain't what's wrong with the world... to the extent that that's the case, only time will deal with that." Meanwhile, the Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has again condemned as a "mistake" the Berlin summit meeting of leaders of Germany, France and Britain. Speaking at a meeting in Athens, Berlusconi, said Italy would reject the main proposal from Wednesday's meeting. It calls for the appointment of a powerful new figure in the European Commission to co-ordinate economic and social policy in the EU. The proposal has received a cool response from other EU countries. Berlusconi's angry words were matched by a sweeping verdict - he said Italy's answer would be 'No' to any proposal reached by the three other leaders without Italy's involvement. Such brusque statements are no longer very surprising, from this most unpredictable of Italian leaders. But Britain's Prime Minister Toni Blair, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and President Jacques Chirac were at pains in Berlin to stress that they did not aim to impose decisions on the rest of the EU. Their proposals, including one for a powerful new commission vice-president for economic matters, have been sent in the approved way to the Irish government - which now holds the EU presidency - and to the commission itself. But Germany, Britain and France clearly face a level of mistrust among other states which could make it harder to get their proposals accepted without change or delay. Officials and leading media in other European capitals have reacted rather coolly to the list of proposals that came out of the Berlin summit for revitalising European economies and making them more globally competitive. Other countries insist that Germany and France should first correct problems like their own excessive spending and market protection before preaching to others. Some EU governments also voiced worries that the so-called Big Three of Germany, Britain and France might use their "closed" meeting to do deals on big unresolved issues like the EU constitution or future EU foreign policies. European officials say the private talks among the leaders were general and no strategic decisions were taken. Germany, France and Britain proposed, in their þ summit, creating a European Commission vice president post þto supervise economic reforms in the 15-nation bloc, a communiqué issued by þ the summit said.þ þ It added the three nations' leaders, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have signed a letter to current EU president, Ireland, and to the EU Commission þ members, requesting the creation of the post.þ þ It added the three leaders supported making reforms in the European labour market, stimulating economic growth, and boosting social and health services þin the continent, to increase its competitiveness within a decade-long period þof time.þ þ The trio-summit aims to prepare for the European Summit to take place next þMarch. Italy has criticized this summit saying the three afore-mentioned countries were acting individually.þ "The summit was very constructive," Blair told a press conference that þ followed the summit in Berlin. Schroeder, as the host in Berlin, briefed his European colleagues on the talks. He, Chirac and Blair said they would meet again as a threesome, despite protests, because it is better to seek agreement than to risk more of the open disputes of the past. The leaders of Germany, France and the UK have rejected charges that they are trying to grab power in the EU. Schroeder, Chirac and Blair were speaking after talks in Berlin on the future of the European Union and other major issues. The meeting prompted concerns from some European leaders that the three were trying to dominate an expanded EU. But Schroeder denied at the end of the meeting that the three were trying to "dominate anyone, let alone Europe". Blair said it was valuable for the three countries to hold a summit in the wake of what he called "a very difficult period". France and Germany were among the most vocal critics of the US-led war on Iraq - while London backed Washington equally strongly. The UK Prime Minister said everyone would benefit from close co-ordination among the three big countries - which, he said, represented "almost half the population and over half the wealth generated by Europe". "If we can come to agreement that is a good thing for our three countries, but also for Europe," he said. Chirac rejected the idea that close Franco-German co-operation should be expanded to include Britain, saying Paris and Berlin had a special relationship. Italy's Europe Minister, Rocco Buttiglione, had warned before the meeting that the EU does not need the triumvirate to run its affairs. "Nobody in Europe is ready to be a second-class citizen. Europe is made up of 25 countries, not of three," he told the BBC. Talks among the three leaders focused on economic reform, they said in a closing statement. They have called for a special EU official with a mission to press for such reforms. Schroeder said the EU had to become more competitive and streamlined. British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he had spoken to his counterparts in Italy, Spain and Poland over the past two days to reassure them about the purpose of the talks in Berlin. The leaders of Denmark, Luxembourg and Netherlands have said they were not concerned. Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker told a German radio station that it would be a "useful meeting". He said it was generally a good idea to co-ordinate positions ahead of EU summits to make actual negotiations easier. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen also said it was "natural for the big countries to get together". The EU is willing to contribute in peace efforts þin the Middle East when the Arab heads of state meet in Tunisia next month, Javier Solana, EU Foreign Policy Chief, said.þ "We would like to contribute, if possible, to back an initiative coming þfrom the Arab league which is constructive and positive to problems in the þregion in particular the peace process," Solana told reporters after a meeting þ with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei.þ Solana said he would be attending the summit and contribute to efforts by þArabs towards peace in the region.þ þþ þMeanwhile, US President George W. Bush said he is very committed to freedom and democracy in the Middle East. ''I believe people can self-govern around the world. Now, there are some, admittedly, say, well, they can't have freedom and democracy in the Middle East. But I think that point of view is condescending. I think it diminishes the hopes and aspirations of the citizenry of the Middle East. I absolutely believe in freedom and peace. And I look forward to working with governments to achieve freedom and peace,'' he said. ''Now, I recognize not every government is going to fashion a free society in the vision of America. I don't expect that. But I do expect every government to uphold the aspirations of the average citizens in a free society,'' Bush added. ''I respect Crown Prince Abdullah, and like Crown Prince Abdullah. He's a man of great faith, and great integrity, who gave a speech the other day about the need to modernize and to reform Saudi society. I take him for his word. To me that was a positive development,'' the US President said. ''King Abdullah of Jordan, the King of Morocco, I mean, there's a series of places -- Qatar, Oman -- I mean, places that are developing -- Bahrain -- they're all developing the habits of free societies. They evolve differently. But nevertheless, progress is being made. And for that, I'm very grateful,'' he added. ''I think we need to work with governments and institutions and NGOs to encourage the institutions of a free society. See, one of the interesting things in the Oval Office -- I love to bring people into the Oval Office -- right around the corner from here -- and say, this is where I office, but I want you to know the office is always bigger than the person. In other words, free societies are societies where people come and go, but the institutions that protect the rights of people never leave. And that's what the institute is going to be working on -- free press, just like we just talked about, free elections, free society,'' Bush said. ''Many of the countries in the Middle East are modernizing. And that's what I look for. I fully understand it takes time for free societies, truly free societies to evolve. I don't expect instant success. After all, in my own country it took a while for our current system to evolve,'' he added. ''I do believe they understand the need to reform. But I also know they agree that we need to continue to work together to fight terror. And that's vital, because it's hard for a free society to develop with terrorists killing innocent people,'' the US president said. ''I have a vision in the Middle East for there to be a Palestinian state. I'm the first President to have ever articulated a Palestinian state. I believe there needs to be a Palestinian state, and I'm not going to change my opinion. On the other hand, I know how hard it is to achieve a Palestinian state, so long as there's groups of terrorists willing to murder in order to prevent that from happening,'' he added. ''The Road Map is in place. What has failed is the -- some parties are not advancing on the road map. They're stuck. And I stood up with Mr. Abu Mazen, at that time the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, with Prime Minister Sharon, in Aqaba, Jordan -- and King Abdullah, of course, our host -- and we linked arms and said, let us move forward on the road map to peace. There needs to be a commitment to fight terror. There needs to be a commitment to put the institutions of a free society in place,'' Bush said. ''There needs to be a commitment on the Israelis to worry about the plight of the average Palestinian citizen -- to encourage a society to evolve that is commercially viable and free. There needs to be a commitment from the neighbourhood to help fight off the flow of funds to fund the terrorist groups, that would stop,'' he added. ''I still believe that a Palestinian state is essential for the aspirations of the Palestinian people. And I fully understand there needs to be a firm commitment to fight off terror in order for that to happen,'' the US President said. Regarding Iraq, President Bush said: ''There's tremendous progress being made. The first thing I pay attention to -- there are voices speaking out about how to achieve democracy. Had those voices spoken out last year, or the year before, or the year before, they probably wouldn't be a voice anymore, given the fact that Saddam Hussein was willing to torture and kill dissidents,'' he added. ''And today a free society is emerging. And it may look bumpy at times, but democracy sometimes looks bumpy. I mean, here in our own country I'm sure people take a step back and say, what is happening in the election process? I mean, it looks like there are some sharp elbows. But I am encouraged by what is taking place in Iraq. I appreciate so very much the fact that the Shiias speak out for freedom. I appreciate the fact that the Sunnis are questioning whether or not they have a role in the future of their country. I appreciate the fact that the Kurds are active. I appreciate the fact that all three parties are trying to work for a common law that guarantees the religious rights of others, the minority rights of people in a free society,'' Bush said. ''So I think it's very positive. We look forward to working with the United Nations to help the process along, to add some international legitimacy to what the Iraqis think is necessary to move the process toward a new constitution and elections of people,'' he added. Asked about Syria and his couple of phone calls with the Syrian President after September 11, Bush said: ''Well, first of all, I think we made some legitimate requests. I said, look, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. They headquartered in your country. You need to shut down those headquarters. You need to prevent terrorist activities from being planned and/or orders being -- emanating out of Syria. Secondly, you've got to work on the border to make sure that the border between Iraq and Syria is not porous but, in fact, you are able to stop the flow of people and contraband and information back and forth. We don't want terrorists coming in from Syria into Iraq to kill innocent Iraqis and/or American troops. And it's very important for us to keep sending that message to him. That's why I appreciate doing this interview. The message still stands. And we would hope there would be a strong cooperation on these very reasonable points.'' ''I'm interested in peace. And the fact that a party is willing to talk about peace is, I think, a positive signal. I look forward to understanding fully what that means. As you know, there was -- some progress had been made prior to my arrival as President on Syrian-Israeli peace talks. And we've just got to understand the intent, the sincerity and the desire of both parties involved, that would be Syria and Israel,'' Bush said. The US President expected that the people in the Middle East would vote for him, adding that ''they'd vote for me because I am strong on the war on terror, for starters. They would appreciate George W. in the future because I understand that freedom and prosperity go hand in hand. And a free society is more likely to be a prosperous society where people can realize their hopes and aspirations.'' Meanwhile. United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has said it is "terribly important" for Iraq to have elections but they must be "reasonably credible". Brahimi has been in Iraq to discuss the feasibility of early elections and the ways the UN could help. Iraq's top Shia cleric wants the poll to take place before 30 June when the US-led coalition plans to hand over power to an Iraqi authority. Brahimi did not specify when he thought an election could be held, but he warned from a civil war and from repeating what has happened in Lebanon and Algeria. "What everyone agrees on is that elections are terribly important," Brahimi told a news conference in Baghdad. But the Iraqi street must know that elections are very complicated process and cannot be achieved unless there are good preparations so that everyone accepts the results," he said. Basic issues still needed to be examined, he said. These included what kind of electoral system did Iraqis want, who would they choose, and what kind of electoral register would work. Brahimi said he would submit his recommendations to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in about a week or 10 days, so he can determine how best the UN can help in organising the elections. On Thursday, Brahimi met top Shia cleric Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, who is calling for early elections, to explain the UN view that a legal framework for elections and a register of voters must be in place before any poll can be held. Brahimi believed the talks were useful and that the ayatollah understood the need for proper preparations. The US says there is no time to organise free and fair elections before the 30 June handover. It wants regional meetings to select a new government, which in turn would draft a constitution - with elections postponed until at least the end of 2005. The US also argues that conditions are not right for elections - and the lack of security has been underlined by a spate of attacks this week. Brahimi announced that the UN supports the call advocated by Al-Seistani to make general elections in the country. He told journalists in conclusion of his meeting with Al-Seistani in al-Najaf that the Shiite clergy is correct in his call to make the elections because they are the best means to solve the problem of the Iraqi people. But he gave no date for these elections. þCiting an "emerging consensus," United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said elections cannot be organized in Iraq before the 30 June deadline for a transfer of sovereignty a date he said should be "respected." In the interim between the handover and the polling, a caretaker government should be established, Annan told reporters following a meeting with Lakhdar Brahimi, who just returned from a fact-finding mission to Iraq, and the "Group of Friends" on the country. "We hope that as we move forward we will be able to work with the Iraqis and the coalition to find a mechanism for establishing a caretaker or an interim government until such time that elections are organized," the Secretary-General said, citing an "emerging consensus or understanding that elections cannot be held before end of June [and] that the June 30th date for handover of sovereignty must be respected." "We need to find a mechanism to create a caretaker government and then help prepare the elections later sometime later in the future," he added. A UN spokesman later said the Secretary-General had drawn attention in particular to the consensus that has emerged that direct national elections are the best way to establish a fully representative and legitimate parliament and government. At the same time, there is wide agreement that elections cannot be successfully achieved unless carefully prepared under optimal technical, security and political conditions. "He said that more work will be necessary to address fully some important questions that remain unanswered, and voiced his hope that the UN will be able to contribute to addressing these questions once he has approved the team's final conclusions," spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters in New York. "The Secretary-General emphasized that it is crucial that we do not give the impression that Iraq's fate could be decided over the heads of its people, stressing the need to engage the Iraqi people further as they chart their own destiny." Brahimi noted that the Secretary-General would be "sending his first recommendation this is not a one-off activity on the basis of the facts that we have assembled." "The United Nations will be resuming its work to help the political process, first of all up to the 30th of June and then after the 30th of June when sovereignty will be restored to Iraq," he stressed. The Secretary-General called the meeting "very good," noting that he and Brahimi had shared "where we stand, what we hope to do next, and the state of play." The Group's 46 members "all expressed their appreciation for the work done by Lakhdar Brahimi and the team," he added. Brahimi welcomed the support of the Group, which he said would be "closely associated with our work and supporting the re-engagement of the United Nations in Iraq." The Secretary-General later discussed Iraq with members of the UN Security Council during that body's monthly luncheon. "Basically we focused on the next steps, and how one goes about working with the Iraqi people to design a mechanism that would be used for the establishment of an interim administration or caretaker government, and the UN's role in this phase of the transition and post-1 July," he said afterwards. Asked about his own preferred options, Annan said he had none. "We need to have the Iraqis discuss it," he stressed. "They must take ownership, discuss it amongst themselves, and we will try and work with them to find a consensus." Meanwhile, the US Senate is to expand its Iraq intelligence probe to examine whether senior officials exaggerated the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. The Senate Intelligence Committee said it would examine officials' statements to see if the intelligence backed them. The news comes as US President George W Bush named two prominent US academics to take part in his separate inquiry. Bush announced last week he would set up an "independent, bipartisan" panel to examine Iraq intelligence. The Senate Intelligence Committee will expand its review of intelligence on Iraq to examine whether the Bush administration accurately described the information it had on Saddam Hussein's weapons. The committee will examine "whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. government officials (between the 1991 Gulf War and the Iraq War) were substantiated by intelligence information," committee leaders said in a statement Thursday night. The panel is nearing completion of a report expected to be extremely critical of the intelligence agencies' collection and analysis of pre-war intelligence. Since the inquiry began in June, Democrats have insisted that the commission also examine whether the administration distorted intelligence to help build the case for war. Republicans have refused and both sides have accused the other of using the traditionally bipartisan committee for political purposes. The expansion of the inquiry is not expected to delay the release of the committee's report. It is not clear how long it will take to review the administration statements or whether its findings on those statements would be released before the November election. Pressure for the expanded inquiry grew after the former chief weapons inspector in Iraq, David Kay, said last month that intelligence agencies had wrongly concluded Iraq had large chemical and biological weapon stockpiles and an advanced nuclear weapons program. That intelligence served as President Bush's main argument for war. Bush last week appointed a bipartisan commission to examine intelligence agencies' work on Iraq and other U.S. adversaries. The commission is led by Laurence Silberman, a former federal appeals court judge and ambassador to Yugoslavia, and Charles Robb, a former two-term Democratic senator and Virginia governor. In addition to examining public statements, the Senate committee will review intelligence activities involving the office of Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, and Intelligence provided by the Iraqi National Congress, the leading exile group. Democrats have charged that the Office of Special Plans under Feith functioned as a renegade intelligence agency, feeding policy-makers uncorroborated intelligence from the group. The Pentagon has said the office was a small operation set up to review intelligence produced by other agencies. Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., called the expanded inquiry "a refinement and to a great extent a restatement of the committee's ongoing review of pre-war intelligence." The panel's top Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, said outstanding issues remain, "but we've made a lot of progress, and its clear that were moving in the right direction." President Bush could be vulnerable in this election year because of heavy criticism over his handling of the Iraq war, but the invasion was necessary to remove a dangerous threat, Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said. In remarks to a local Republican group and an interview afterward, the two-term lawmaker likened the pre-war problem of Saddam Hussein to conditions in Japan and Germany before World War II. US leaders ignored those troubled regions until it was too late to avoid that global conflict, Rehberg said. Bush was wise not to make that mistake again, even though no biological, chemical or nuclear weapons have been found, he said. It was just a matter of time before Saddam Hussein acquired and used such weapons against his neighbors, Rehberg said. "It was either go in then or sometime in the future," he said. "I see Saddam Hussein and what he was trying to do as a cancer on the world." He berated those attacking Bush's war policy, saying, "This is not the time to be backbiting and picking at the president." Asked if the president could be defeated, Rehberg said it's possible because of the war issue and the persistent questions over his military record with the National Guard. Rehberg's comments came as a new CBS News poll showed Democratic front-runner John Kerry with a 48% to 43% lead over Bush. Although he defended Bush's actions in Iraq, Rehberg said he differs with his party's leader on other subjects, including highway funding and treatment of immigrants. In the meantime, the US Governor in Iraq Paul Bremer said the latest twin attacks in Fallujah that killed up to 27 people were þlikely linked to foreign fighters operating inside Iraq.þ þ The city of Fallujah witnessed a twin bloody attack yesterday that targeted þsecurity headquarters, killing at least 27 people and wounding many more þothers.þ "We have a pattern of suicide bombings over the last three or four months þ that exactly fit the strategy outlined by Al-Qaeda terrorist," Bremer told the þABC television in an interview.þ þ Bremer was referring to Abu Mosaab Zarqawi, the most wanted figure in þAl-Qaeda who is believed to be hiding in Iraq.þ The US has offered up to 10 million dollars reward for the capture or death þof Zarqawi.þ þ "He is basically trying to set up a sectarian war here, a civil war and þthose suicide bombings were consistent with his strategy," Bremer said.þ The United States released a memo found in Iraq and believed to be written þby Zarqawi himself who admitted he was the master of more than 20 operations þinside Iraq.þ þ "We have doubled the reward that we are willing to pay for Zarqawi's þcapture or death. And we are conducting a major campaign to catch him. We þbelieve he is still in Iraq," Bremer said. Paul Bremer also said the United States remains committed to June 30 as the target date for the handover. The administration has insisted that sovereignty will be surrendered through a process of caucuses to choose representatives to appoint an Iraqi government to be in place by July 1. He raised the idea of alternatives during appearances on two talk shows. "It may be different from the caucus plan. It may be a modified caucus plan. It may be some form of partial elections," Bremer said. "There are literally dozens of ideas around." The United States wants to see the recommendation of the United Nations, which is coming through Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Annan's envoy to Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, Bremer said. "We're going to wait and see what (Brahimi) says when he issues his report, hopefully in the next week or 10 days," Bremer told ABC's "This Week." Although the United States is open for alternatives on the method of transfer, it remains firm on June 30 as the turnover date, Bremer said. "That's the agreement we have with the Iraqis, and we intend to carry it out," he said on CNN's "Late Edition." Bremer had been asked about Secretary of State Colin Powell's comment at a congressional hearing last week that the transfer would be at the end of June "if all goes well." "There isn't a magic wand we're going to wave over this country on June 30 and have it suddenly change," Bremer said. "There will still be a security problem. There will still be huge needs for reconstructing an economy that was brutalized over 30 years and a political system that was fragmented and repressed" by ousted President Saddam Hussein, Bremer said. "The U.S. is here for a long commitment," he said. Noting that President Bush has said "we will stay until the job is done," Bremer said: "The job is to get a democratic, stable, unified Iraq at peace with itself and with its neighbours. And that will take time. It isn't going to end on June 30." In the aftermath of the US-led invasion, violence has continued, both from remnants of Saddam's government and, increasingly, from foreign fighters believed affiliated with the Al-Qaeda network. The US Defence Department (The Pentagon) announced that the cost of the war in Iraq during the three months from September to November 2003 reached $14 billion. Department of Defence Comptroller Dov Zakheim briefed the press on the Pentagon's estimate that the cost of military actions in Iraq during September was $4 billion and was raised to $7 billion during October while it was decreased during November to $3 billion. In Baghdadþþ, the American occupation forces released former chairman of the Iraqi National council, Saadoun Hammadi (74 years old), after 9 months in imprisonment. Hammadi returned back home and seemed in a good health condition. The American forces detained Hammadi on May 29th 2003 and remained in Abu Gharib jail in Baghdad and then transferred to a detention centre to the south of Um Qaser and settled ultimately in a prison at Baghdad airport. At the political level, the Iraqi Interim Governing Council started discussions of other alternatives to assume authority from the occupation forces by the end of June this year with fewer possibilities to hold early elections. Member of the Council Mahmoud Othman said in press statements that the council wants an agreement on means of forming a leadership to assume the sovereignty, noting that two options exist in this regard. Either to expand the size of the governing council by increasing the members or convening a national conference including all Iraqi forces. Othman stressed he supports the option of convening a national conference including all Iraqi forces under the auspices of the UN, the US, the European Union and the Arab League. He said that this will be the right step towards national reconciliation. In Brussels, many European parliamentary figures expressed their concern because of the dangerous trend which is taking place in the Middle East specially inside the Palestinian territories. Many European MPs called for the necessity to activate the EU's move in the region. The Irish Assistant Minister of European Affairs Dick Rosh expressed his sorrow for not registering any positive indication regarding the region lately. Rosh stressed on the importance of pushing forward the Quartet without any delay to move and resume its efforts to bring all sides back to the negotiating table. He also stressed on the importance of other initiatives mainly the Arab League's stance and the Arab Peace Initiative which was adopted in Beirut in 2002. ''the initiative of HRH Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National Guard which was adopted in Beirut by the Arab League is encouraging and raise hope is it opens a real space for co-existence in the Middle East.