31 May 2005
Multinational Force Still Needed by Iraq, Foreign Minister Says
United States pledges force "will stay the course"
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari traveled to New York May 31 to report to the U.N. Security Council on events in his country and formally request the continuation of the U.S.-led Multinational Force (MNF) to help the fledgling government fight off the deadly attacks by terrorists.
"We believe to complete the transitional process and build on the political achievement to date we need the MNF to continue providing its essential contributions to our security," Zebari said during a public meeting with the Security Council.
Zebari said that as the drafting of the constitution begins and the country moves toward elections "we anticipate that the campaign of destruction and intimidation will continue perpetrated by a deadly mix of remnants of the former regime determined to turn back the clock and foreign elements whose sole agenda is to destroy the ongoing political process."
"Their horrific and merciless tactics may shift, but their evil intentions remain the same -- to foment civic divisions and spread terror among innocent civilians across the country to undermine the new democratic system," the foreign minister said.
"We look forward to the day when our forces are able to assume full responsibility for maintaining our national security at which time there will be no need for the engagement of the MNF. Until then, we need the continued presence of the MNF in Iraq," he said.
Zebari also discussed the problem of terrorists infiltrating Iraq from neighboring countries, saying that despite talks some governments "have refused to translate" assurances of cooperation into concrete action.
He urged Iraq's neighbors "to put an end to the flow of terrorists" across their common borders, and he singled out Syria as needing "to do more to prevent the movement of extremist elements from entering our country."
"We have learned recently that Syria has stopped more than a thousand foreign fighters from entering Iraq from Syria," Zebari said. "We welcome this action but note that it confirms our long-held view that Syria has been one of the main transit routes for foreign terrorists as well as for remnants of the previous regime."
Describing the development of the Iraqi military and police, the foreign minister said that, despite horrific losses from daily suicide attacks on patrols and recruiting centers, "there continues to be an increasing number of recruits volunteering to serve their country."
In close cooperation with the MNF, Iraqi forces have begun taking the lead in offensive military actions against the insurgents, Zebari added.
The foreign minister said that transitional government remains committed to the timetable set last year, which provides for the drafting of a new permanent constitution by August 15, a national referendum on the constitution in October, and general elections for a constitutionally elected government in December.
The Security Council reviewed the mandate of the MNF in Iraq as called for by Resolution 1546, passed in June 2004. The mandate set out in that resolution authorized the MNF to take all necessary measures to contribute to the security and stability of Iraq. That includes taking action to stop terrorism and provide security for Iraqi elections as well as training Iraqi security forces. MNF units from Georgia and Romania -- with U.S. and U.K. support and financial aid from the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden -- also protect the facilities and staff of the U.N. Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) in Baghdad and Basra.
According to the resolution, the MNF mandate must be reviewed after 12 months. Its mandate will expire at the end of December with the election of the new government or earlier if requested by Iraq. Thus the Security Council did not have to take any formal action at the end of its meeting with Zebari in order to have the MNF continue.
U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson told the council that the MNF "is committed to stay the course in Iraq and will continue to assist the Iraqi government to provide security."
In doing so, Patterson said, the MNF "is committed to coordinating closely with the Iraqi government at the local and national levels to employ more effective tactics to defeat the insurgents and prevent their attacks."
The ambassador said that a there is no specific timeline for MNF withdrawal and any decision on force size "will be driven by events on the ground."
"The MNF will not remain in Iraq any longer than necessary, but nor, consistent with Iraqi requests, should it leave until the Iraqis can meet the serious security challenges they face," she said.
"We realize that this is a difficult process and that we must be patient," Patterson said. "Acts of terrorism and insurgency will not just disappear. We have seen that with the spate of violence following the formation of the new government."
Patterson, who is the acting U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, reported that in the past year the MNF has trained and equipped 165,000 Iraqi soldiers and police; the Iraqi Army has over 90 battalion-level units conducting operations in cities and rural areas; and Iraqi police and military are shouldering the security burden in 12 of the country's 18 provinces.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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