BELFAST, Northern Ireland, April 8 (UPI) -- President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday said they wanted to move quickly to establish an interim Iraqi government in which the United Nations would play a vital role.
"We will move as quickly as possible to place governmental responsibilities under the control of an interim authority composed of Iraqis from both inside and outside the country," said Bush.
The two leaders emerged Tuesday morning for a news conference to discuss the role the coalition and the United Nations would play in rebuilding Iraq and establishing a representative government once Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his regime were removed from power. They also discussed the Middle East peace "road map" and efforts for peace in Northern Ireland.
"So much of our discussion has focused on how we get vital supplies -- food, water and medicines -- to them, how we help the process of transition to the day when Iraq is governed by the Iraq people for the Iraqi people," Blair said.
Blair said that an interim government would pave the way for a "truly representative government" that respects the rule of law and human rights, and spends the people's wealth on the well being of the country.
The two leaders met at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast. It is their second summit since the start of the war and their third war meeting in two months. Bush, Blair and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Marie Aznar met March 16 in the Azores for a summit prior to the start of hostilities in Iraq; then Bush welcomed Blair to Camp David in the mountains of Maryland on March 27.
Bush is also to meet with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern and other Irish leaders later Tuesday on what will be the anniversary of 1988's Good Friday Agreement that put in place a Catholic-Protestant government. Later this week, a plan will be released that will help put in place the provisions of that pact, Bush said.
"I will urge leaders in Ireland to adopt this plan as their own," Bush said. He called it a "historic moment" and asked Northern Ireland to seize the opportunity for peace.
In a joint statement, Bush and Blair said there was no place in Northern Ireland for paramilitary activity. They said the Good Friday proposals would encompass a wide range of additional issues including sustainable political organizations and human rights.
"There will be a need for a mechanism, one designed to safeguard the interests and rights of all, to verify compliance with the key undertakings," the joint statement read.
Bush and Blair spoke to reporters as speculation grew over whether U.S. forces had killed Saddam after his two sons with a satellite-guided strike bunker-buster bombs in a residential area in Baghdad.
"I don't know whether (Saddam) survived," Bush said. "The only thing I know is that he's losing power."
Britain has been the United States' closest ally and largest coalition partner in the Iraqi war. It is expected that Bush and Blair would iron out differences on what role the United Nations should play in a post-Saddam Iraq. Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday that the media had exaggerated the differences between the two leaders on post-war Iraq.
Both leaders tried to deflect reports that Bush wanted the United Nations to play a lesser part in rebuilding Iraq while Britain wanted the United Nations to take center stage in the reconstruction efforts.
"We are committed to working with international institutions including the United Nations which will have a vital role to play in this task," Bush said.
He said a free Iraq would be peaceful, no friend to terrorists and will give up its weapons of mass destruction. He called Saddam a destabilizing factor in the region.
The Americans and British have reportedly drafted a three-stage plan for post-war rebuilding. Stage one would have U.S. and British forces retaining security control; stage two would see the formation of the interim Iraqi administration that would include exiles; and stage three would be the election of a representative government.
Powell on Monday said a team from Washington was headed to the Persian Gulf region to lay the groundwork for the interim authority. He speculated that NATO may also play a role in peacekeeping efforts.
In New York Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called in members of the Security Council to discuss the post-conflict situation in Iraq and to meet with his special adviser on post-conflict aid, Rafeeuddin Ahmed.
When asked how his views about a post-conflict Iraq differed from what the leader of the coalition -- the United States – wants, the secretary-general said there were ongoing discussions both in Washington and among member states, and Bush and Blair.
In Washington, Bush may have to decide which agency will lead U.S. reconstruction efforts. Congress was poised last week to deliver $2.5 billion to the U.S. Department of State for Iraqi reconstruction, despite statements from the White House that the Pentagon would be in control.
It was Friday that national security adviser Condoleezza Rice told reporters that Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance would help Iraqis in several ways, including restoring electricity and water and delivering basic medical care. After that initial phase, functions of the government would be turned over to an Iraqi interim government.
The Middle East was also on the agenda in Belfast. Bush said the two governments were working to bring about a settlement that protects the rights of the Israelis and Palestinians, and one that promotes peace, security and human dignity.
Blair thanked Bush for his attention the two-state solution outlined in June -- a secure Israel and a viable Palestinian states. Blair said that the decision for the so-called road map to peace depends on the foundation of the Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen's Cabinet.
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(Reported by Kathy Gambrell in Washington.)
