British envoy likely to push bigger U.N. role

UNITED NATIONS -- Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the eloquent British diplomat who took the U.S.-British case for war to the Security Council, may hold the key to healing wounds the Iraq conflict created among world powers.

As the newly appointed No. 2 coalition official in Iraq, Greenstock will likely push for the kind of U.N. involvement the Bush administration had earlier shunned but the rest of the Security Council is hoping for.

"If I have anything to do with it, the U.N. will be a central player in those areas where it has genuine experience and expertise to offer," Greenstock told U.N. reporters at a farewell gathering Friday. He even envisioned a return of international weapons inspectors.

After five years as Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, Greenstock will leave the post next week to become a deputy to L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. occupation governor in Iraq.

The No. 2 post is currently held by John Sawers, a former British ambassador to Egypt.

Greenstock, a fluent Arabic speaker who held several posts in the Middle East, is one of the most well-respected and well-liked diplomats on the Security Council.

During seven months of intense negotiations leading up to the Iraq war, Greenstock became the public face of British diplomacy, often appearing on U.S. television news programs to articulate the U.S.-British case against Saddam Hussein.

Behind the scenes, he worked tirelessly but ultimately failed to win U.N. support for the war. Aides and colleagues, who describe him as a firm believer in the United Nations, said he took the loss hard.

But Greenstock said there is still plenty of room for the United Nations and others to play a role in post-war Iraq.

He confirmed Washington was floating the idea of a U.N.-authorized international peacekeeping force to help out coalition troops. But he said it wouldn't be a strictly U.N. operation and that many countries were reluctant to work under the occupying authority of the United States and Britain.

"I think there needs to be probably some development in Iraqis taking over their own affairs before the situation changes. But the fact is that I don't have instructions on this which I think is a signal something immediate isn't going to happen."

Greenstock also said Britain would like to see international inspectors return to Iraq. Many at the United Nations believe his appointment could make that happen. The United States cut off U.N. inspectors from the weapons hunt, which it has led so far without result.

Greenstock said his No. 1 priority will be to speed up the establishment of a transitional Iraqi authority that can take over responsibilities from Bremer's office, known as the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Greenstock served in Washington twice -- once in 1974 and again 20 years later -- and represented Britain from posts in Saudi Arabia, France and Dubai. He has three grown children and will be joined by his wife, Anne Ashford Hodges, when he goes to Baghdad in the fall.