Situation in Iraq Getting Worse Day by Day: Ivanov
"In this respect, one cannot but express surprise at statements made by some Washington officials that life in Iraq is returning to normal and becoming better virtually day by day," Ivanov said. "One should not be misled -- the situation in Iraq is becoming not better, but worse day by day."
He also said a U.S.-backed draft resolution seeking broader international help in postwar Iraq "still needs further, very serious work".
Ivanov, speaking at a regional cooperation meeting in the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan, said the U.S. proposal went some way to re-establishing the central role of the United Nations in solving Iraq's problems. "The U.S. draft resolution shows some movement towards these principles," he told a news conference. "But, naturally, for them to be reflected fully, this document still needs further, very serious work."
The United States, facing mounting losses among its forces, began pressing this week for the adoption of a new resolution encouraging other countries to contribute troops and money to postwar reconstruction efforts.
But France and Germany, which opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, have rejected the proposed draft, saying it does not hand enough responsibility to Iraqis or the United Nations.
"Really, it appears some way from the principal goal which is the transfer of authority to an Iraqi government as soon as possible," French President Jacques Chirac said at a press conference with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
With U.S. troops under steady attack in Iraq, Washington has proposed that the UN Security Council create a multinational security force to counter the instability, and to legitimize the U.S.-installed Iraqi Governing Council.
"In truth, I think the same as he (Chirac) does, that the proposal doesn't go far enough, that it's not dynamic enough," Schroeder said.
Chirac said the U.S. proposal would be discussed and that France and Germany "would have the chance to present amendments and modifications", but added: "we are still a long way from a situation" where France would vote in favor of it.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell later dismissed the Franco-German objections, insisting the draft met their concerns and it was better than anything France or Germany had proposed. "I think the resolution is drafted in a way that deals with the concerns that leaders such as President Chirac and Chancellor Schroeder have raised in the past," Powell said.
"If they have suggestions, we'd be more than happy to listen to those suggestions," he told reporters in Washington.
The draft U.S. resolution, obtained by AFP, does not explicitly place the U.S. military in charge of the force but puts it "under unified command".
It also says that the United States would report "on behalf of all member states participating in the multinational force" to the Security Council about efforts being undertaken by the international contingent. French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the text was "a move in the right direction" but did not "give the United Nations sufficient responsibility in the process of political transition."
De Villepin backed Chirac's call for Iraqis to have more say in their own governance. "We must proceed without delay to a transfer of political power to the Iraqis", he said in an interview to appear in Friday's edition of the newspaper Le Figaro. The draft also authorizes the force "to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq and urges member states to contribute assistance, including military forces, to that effort." One of the tasks of the force would be to provide security to the Iraqi council, which, in turn, is urged in the text to offer "a timetable and program for the drafting of a new constitution for Iraq and for the holding of democratic elections."
France, Germany and Russia have all expressed reservations about expanding the UN mandate in Iraq and insist that the warring coalition should take responsibility for rebuilding.
Paris and Berlin in particular oppose any attempt to "legitimize" the war with a new resolution and are against sending troops.
"As long as the juridical situation has not changed, the German government has no plans to take part in a military intervention in Iraq," German Defense Minister Peter Struck said in Strasbourg Thursday.
France and Russia are permanent veto-holding members of the 15-member Security Council, while Germany is currently one of 10 non-permanent members.
The U.S. proposal follows the bombing of the Jordanian embassy, the UN headquarters in Baghdad, and the car bombing outside the Imam Ali mausoleum in the city of Najaf, which killed 83 people including a leading Shiite cleric.
The United States, whose troops come under daily attack in Iraq, is seeking to ease the burden it faces by further internationalizing security here.
Washington's vision for the multinational force is loosely based on the peacekeeping operation in East Timor, which had a UN mandate but was essentially under Australia's control. Chirac's and Schroeder's remarks came after a round of informal talks in the eastern city of Dresden also involving de Villepin and his German counterpart Joschka Fischer.
The two leaders were at pains to point out that their positions on Iraq, the Middle East and the European Union are virtually identical.
On the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, Schroeder said that despite the current difficulties, the peace "roadmap" was not dead.