14 September 2004
U.S. Urges World to Provide Security for Iraq's Elections
Says U.N. effort to organize elections requires security support
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The security situation in Iraq remains fragile, attacks are persistent, and lives continue to be lost, but the setbacks "only strengthen our resolve," U.S. Ambassador John Danforth said September 14, urging nations to contribute troops and money to provide security so the United Nations can return to Iraq, especially to help with upcoming elections.
"Everybody who cares about Iraq believes the election should be held and the election should be held on schedule," Danforth said. "The U.N.'s presence is very important."
The Security Council has directed the United Nations to play a leading role in helping Iraq hold elections and establish a battalion for the multinational force that would provide security for U.N. personnel and offices. But because of the high level of violence, the United Nations has established its main office outside Iraq and has been unable to send in more than a few dozen international staff on an ad hoc basis.
Describing the situation as "a circle," Danforth said, "we need to establish democracy through the election, we need to have the U.N. present, we need to have the security for the U.N. The plea we made today is that rest of the world participate in providing the kind of security for U.N. personnel that makes it possible for them to do their job fully."
"We are committed to holding the election on a timely basis and we are committed to the protection of the United Nations," the U.S. ambassador said.
Iraq's Charge d'Affaires Feisal al-Istrabadi said that the "the number of U.N. workers now in Iraq is inadequate" and more help than the administrative expertise on elections provided so far is needed.
Countless "daunting" issues such as voter registration remain, he said, "and the United Nations' expertise in resolving these issues is indispensable."
"There is simply no other place for us to turn; no one does a better job assisting in organizing credible, honest elections in emerging democracies than the United Nations," the charge said.
"It is a fact that Iraq needs the technical support of the U.N. to hold elections," al-Istrabadi said. "We know that. The U.N. knows that. The countries represented at this table and beyond know that. And so do the terrorists. They are determined, at any cost, to prevent this vital assistance from going forward. They must not succeed."
One of the tactical goals of the terrorists is to keep the United Nations and the international community out of Iraq, he said, "and they have unfortunately already met with some success in this respect."
U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said, "the extensive search for contributors of security elements to protect U.N. personnel in Iraq and the U.N. compound in Iraq have not to date produced any definitive agreements with donors."
"That doesn't mean that we aren't following a few leads," Eckhard said. "In fact, we are talking to one or more potential contributors, but no deal has been struck and as of today we have no contributor of the security elements."
The spokesman said that the United Nations is adhering to the policy set after the August 2003 bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad which killed more than 20. That policy stipulates that the United Nations will not deploy a large number of international staff in Iraq until the security situation improves and the capacity to protect U.N. workers increases significantly.
There are currently about 35 U.N. international staff working in Iraq. Eckhard said that that number could increase to several hundred humanitarian, election, and development workers when the secretary general gives the go-ahead, but "that permission will not be granted until the security coordinator is convinced we have done everything to provide for their security once they go in."
U.N. special envoy Ashraf Qazi told the Security Council that the volatile security situation was hurting efforts to rebuild the country and undermining U.N. efforts to assist with the January 2005 elections.
"The current security environment is far from conducive to the deployment of UNAMI (U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq) international staff to Iraq, except in minimal numbers," Qazi said. "It also confines UNAMI's movements to largely within the international or green zone. This limits the ability to interact with a sufficiently wide range of the Iraqi political spectrum."
Emphasizing that the transitional process is compressed into a short period of time and a number of benchmarks have to be met before the elections, the U.N. envoy also urged the international community to do all that is possible to assist the Iraqis.
"Every effort must be made to improve the security environment. An acceptable security environment will be required for political progress," Qazi said.
UNAMI will not run or administer the Iraqi elections, Qazi said. He added that is the responsibility of the interim government and an independent election commission. But UNAMI is to play a leading role in advising, providing technical support, training, and funding the election commission, Qazi said.
In prepared remarks in an open Security Council meeting on Iraq, Danforth, the chief U.S. envoy to the United Nations, said that the United States and the multinational force (MNF) remain committed to working with the international community to ensure that U.N. security needs are met, "but this effort merits international support if it is to be successful."
Danforth also reported to the council on the security situation, the multinational force, rebuilding the infrastructure, hopes for U.N. involvement, and the activities that, he said, "demonstrate that the multination force working closely with the Interim Iraqi Government remains committed to a secure, stable, and democratic Iraq."
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=September&x=20040914184128ajatia0.6090357&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
