European Parliament calls for replacement of occupation troops by UN peacekeepers in Iraq
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Brussels, July 6, IRNA
EP-Iraq
The European Parliament, the only elected institution in the European Union, called Wednesday for the replacement of US occupation troops in Iraq by a UN peace-keeping force.
The 732-member assembly adopted a resolution in its plenary session in Strasbourg Wednesday by 345 votes in favour, 109 against and 167 abstentions calling on the EU to promote a new Security Council resolution to this end.
MEPs also advocated the setting up of an independent Commission, consisting of UN, EU and Iraqi experts, to investigate past human rights crimes.
The resolution said that "the lessons learned from the Iraq war will lead to more multilateral, democratic and results-oriented conflict management worldwide in the future".
MEPs recognised that the fall of the "repressive" regime of Saddam Hussein had paved the way towards a peaceful, secure and democratic future for the Iraqi people.
But in view of the present insecure situation, the international community, said the EP, "has a moral and political duty to respond".
A new UN resolution should provide for the possibility that countries not taking part in the war participate in the training of Iraqi armed forces and police, it said.
The EP expressed its surprise that reconstruction funds for Iraq are partly administered by the World Bank and not entirely by the UN.
Furthermore, the Iraqis should have full control over their oil production, stressed the EP resolution.
260/1771
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
