Iraq is ALREADY a catalyst for change in the Middle East
U.S. Hopes to Have Iraq Resolution by G8 Summit
By Frances Kerry
SAVANNAH, Ga. (Reuters) - Iraq will loom large at a summit of major industrialized nations this week which the United States hopes to go into armed with a new U.N. resolution allaying doubts about the war and the U.S. occupation.
The United States and key war ally Britain are pushing for a resolution that will outline Iraqi sovereignty after the formal handover of power from the U.S.-led force of 160,000 troops to an interim Iraqi government on June 30.
U.S. officials were optimistic the resolution was imminent, meaning it could be approved as Bush welcomes leaders of major industrialized countries, the Group of Eight, for a three-day gathering starting on Tuesday in the secluded resort of Sea Island in Georgia.
He is hoping to use the summit, being convened under tight security amid a spate of al Qaeda actions and threats, to restore his standing with allies such as French President Jacques Chirac who have been deeply critical of the war and to press his case that Iraq can be a catalyst for broader change in the Middle East.
