16 July – The United Nations is sending an electoral team to Baghdad early next month to help the newly constituted Iraqi Governing Council organize elections for next year "hopefully as early as possible," the top UN envoy to Iraq said today.
"Now, in other areas, the building of new democratic institutions, but more particularly in the political arena, the UN will be playing a very active role," Sergio Vieira de Mello, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative, told Syrian television in Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al Assad and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara.
Mr. Vieira de Mello stressed the world body's humanitarian role - "If there has been no humanitarian crisis in Iraq, one keeps forgetting it is thanks to the United Nations' work there" - and its part in reconstruction with the hosting of a conference in October where donors will support the UN in assisting the reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
Turning to the political arena, he added: "We have been active, discretely so, in the formation of the Governing Council, which is the first executive body that emerges in Iraq after the war and after the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime. And I have offered all Iraqi political parties the support of the United Nations in the constitutional and electoral processes that are ahead of us.
"These are areas in which the Untied Nations has a lot of experience and expertise that we have offered to the Iraqi partners to help them determine what the best option for the elaboration of the constitution is, in the particular circumstances, very special circumstances, Iraq finds itself in. And we will help them also organize elections, hopefully as early as possible, in 2004," he said. The electoral team will visit Baghdad in early August to consult with the Governing Council in this regard.
In his talks with Mr. Assad, Mr. Vieira de Mello said the Secretary-General's report on Iraq, due to be submitted to the Security Council next Tuesday, would outline a broad range of activities for the UN in the months ahead. The UN would provide support to the Governing Council as it deliberates on the next steps of drafting the constitution, he added.
"President Bashar, as you can imagine, is very much in favour of a strong United Nations role in Iraq," Mr. Vieira de Mello said. The Syrian leader expressed his support for the UN role in Iraq.
Mr. Vieira de Mello later left for Tehran for talks with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami and Foreign Minister Kharrazi tomorrow as part of his efforts to consult with a full spectrum of Iraqi society and regional leaders on reconstructing the country.
He met Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia last Saturday in Taif, and will be visiting other countries in the region following his briefing to the Security Council next week.
In New York, Mr. Annan said he would meet with a delegation of the Governing Council, which is coming to participate in the Security Council session.
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