13 December 2004 – With violence in Iraq remaining a major challenge, the restoration of security, protection of civilians, credible and inclusive elections, and a closing of ranks by the international community to support political and economic reconstruction are more vital than ever, according to the latest United Nations report on the situation released today.
"With the planned elections, Iraq is approaching a key point in the transitional political process," Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in the report, which was presented to the Security Council by his Special Representative Ashraf Qazi.
"Credible and inclusive elections are the keystone towards achieving legitimacy and stability," he adds, calling on the transitional government to reach out even more broadly to all segments of society.
While noting that technical preparations for the elections remain on schedule, he stresses the need for an end to violence and the equal imperative of using military force as a last resort. "The widespread insecurity in Iraq, including intimidation, hostage-taking, targeted and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and brutal acts of terror, is a major obstacle," he writes.
"At the same time, while restoring security throughout Iraq has become an imperative need, the use of military force should be a last resort and undertaken in strict conformity with international humanitarian and human rights law." The UN's overriding concern is the protection of civilians caught in the crossfire of the conflict, he adds.
Any expansion of UN staffing outside the so called "International Zone" in Baghdad is extremely hazardous and requires both a quantitative and qualitative improvement in overall security, he warns, since the UN and other international organizations "remain high-value, high impact targets."
Three mutually reinforcing areas - security, political and economic - need to be addressed simultaneously to reassure Iraqis that "the transition is on track, enabling them to see the light at the end of the tunnel," Mr. Annan states.
"It is time for the international community to close ranks in support of Iraq's political and economic reconstruction," he declares. "The international community shares a compelling stake in seeing Iraq's political transition succeed."
He stresses that he believes the UN has been able to deliver effective support for this transition in coordinating humanitarian and reconstruction assistance as well as in ensuring that electoral preparations are in place.
In presenting the report Mr. Qazi noted that all types of violence, much of it extreme in its brutality and indiscriminate in its nature, had disrupted a significant portion of Iraq. "It is imperative that every effort be made to promote dialogue, compromise and reconciliation," he said, calling for regional and international engagement with the Interim Government and with "the spectrum of Iraqi civil and political opinion."
He voiced optimism that the Interim Government and people of Iraq were willing and able to successfully negotiate the transition to a united, democratic and prosperous Iraq.
Speaking on behalf of the Multinational Force (MNF) in Iraq, United States Ambassador John Danforth called on the UN to put additional personnel on the ground, pledging MNF protection for "its brave and dedicated people." Most UN international staff were withdrawn last year after a terrorist attack on UN headquarters in Baghdad which killed 22 people, including top envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
"While the security situation in Iraq remains difficult, the increase in UN staff and support is essential to Iraq's political transition process," Mr. Danforth said. "UN presence is critically important to successful elections next January 30 and beyond, and to economic development and reconstruction."
The Permanent Representative of Iraq, Samir Sumaida'ie, said that while his Government was aware of and preoccupied with the security situation it believed that it had a legal and political obligation to the Iraqi people to hold elections on time.
The Government was doing its utmost to reduce the effects of the "campaign of terror" to a minimum while safeguarding the rights of all citizens to express their will freely, he added.
In a separate report deploring the "horrendous" murder of Kuwaitis and third-party nationals who went missing in Iraq after the 1990 invasion of their country and the subsequent Persian Gulf War, Mr. Annan notes that 346 bodies out of the 605 missing have so far found, of which 209 have been identified.
"It is apparent now that they had been executed. I once again condemn their senseless murder," he says. "The perpetrators of these horrendous crimes should be brought to justice."
He also notes that the return of stolen property in November to Kuwait was the first such action by the new Government, demonstrating its "good intentions.to recognize its obligations to Kuwait and the international community." It should trigger further efforts on its part to find other stolen items including the Kuwaiti national archives whose return Kuwait considers essential.
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