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11 August 2005

Security Council Extends U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq

Bolton: Security Council action very positive sign for Iraq

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- The Security Council unanimously agreed August 11 to extend the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for another year.

In its resolution, the Security Council said that the United Nations "should play a leading role in assisting the efforts of the Iraqi people and government in developing institutions for representative government and in promoting national dialogue and unity."

The Iraqi national dialogue, the council said, "is crucial for Iraq's political stability and unity."

Pointing out that the UNAMI resolution was the council's second action on Iraq in less than a week, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said that it demonstrated "the extent of consensus within the council…  That's a very positive sign both for development in Iraq and for cooperation here in the council."

On August 4 the council condemned the recent terror attacks in Iraq and called on member states to cooperate in stopping the flow of terrorists in and out the country and the disruption of the political process. (See related article.)

UNAMI has been involved in two extremely important efforts in Iraq:  the constitution drafting process and the two upcoming elections, Bolton added.

"We're encouraged by what the Iraqi political leaders have done, happy that they're going to stick by the August 15th deadline and, I think, they have welcomed the U.N. and other international assistance, recognizing that of course it is a fundamentally Iraqi process," the ambassador said.

UNAMI, which was initially established in August 2003, has been helping Iraqis organize elections, draft a new constitution and coordinate various humanitarian operations.  Originally envisioned to have a staff of 300 in Iraq, UNAMI satellite offices were set up in Cyprus, Jordan and Kuwait and staff travel to Iraq as needed since the bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad in August 2003 which killed U.N. Special Envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.

A transcript of Bolton’s August 11 remarks to the press is available on the U.S. Mission to the United Nations Web Site.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)