[catarleriarly]

From a link on the Drudge Report site to China News of all places.




US welcomes UN proposals on

Iraqi caretaker government


www.chinaview.cn 2004-04-16

05:59:47



WASHINGTON, April 15 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell welcomed on Thursday

proposals made by UN Undersecretary-General Lakhdar Brahimi about the establishment of an Iraqi caretaker government

before the June 30 deadline for the US-led coalition to return sovereignty to Iraqis.

\"I think they\'re

very sound recommendations,\" Powell said in aninterview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.



\"We\'ll have to study them. We\'ll have to discuss them within the United Nations, the Security Council, but

they also have to bediscussed within Iraq by the members of the Governing Council and by leaders in other parts of

Iraq,\" the secretary said.

Brahimi, who is in Iraq in the capacity of special envoy for

UNSecretary-General Kofi Annan, said in Baghdad earlier Thursday that an Iraqi caretaker government, comprising of a

prime minister,a president and two vice presidents, could be set up ahead of the June 30 deadline for power

handover.

\"We are confident that it will be possible to form such a government in a timely manner, that is

during the month of May 2004,\" the envoy said. Enditem