14 June 2007
U.N. Security Council Backs Multinational Force in Iraq
Iraq says U.S.-led force "vitally necessary" for security, stability
United Nations -- After reviewing the situation in Iraq, the Security Council June 13 extended the mandate of the U.S.-led Multinational Force in Iraq (MNF) and urged the international community to support Iraq in its pursuit of national reconciliation and economic development.
The Security Council had extended the mandate of the MNF in November 2006 for one year, but said that it would review the situation by mid-June 2007 and continue the force only at the request of Iraq. (See related article.)
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told the council that "while Iraq will always be grateful for their liberation from an absolute despot, no Iraqi government official, indeed no Iraqi citizen, wants the presence of foreign troops on Iraqi soil one day longer than is vitally necessary. But today and for the foreseeable months at least, the presence of troops is vitally necessary not only for Iraq but also to safeguard regional security and stability."
Afterward the foreign minister called the meeting "very positive for Iraq." All council members "understood what the Iraqi government is facing," he said.
"The goal was to agree to a continuation of the mandate of the Multinational Force. We are pleased the council unanimously approved [it] and we are also pleased the council very strongly condemned the heinous attack on the Samarra shrines," he said.
KHALILZAD REPORTS FOR MULTINATIONAL FORCE
Calling on all Iraqis to reject retaliation, U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said that the bombings of the holy shrines of Imam Ali Al-Hadi and Imam Hassan Al-Askari in Samarra marked "another deliberate attempt by al-Qaeda to sow dissent and inflame sectarian strife among the people of Iraq."
Reporting to the Security Council on behalf of the Multinational Force, Khalilzad said that the five-month-old Operation Fardh al-Qanun (Imposing Law) is beginning to have an effect. Although attacks against coalition forces and high-profile targets remain frequent, attacks against civilians and sectarian murders in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, have decreased since January. In addition, there has been a significant increase in the number of weapons caches found.
Opposition to al-Qaida in Anbar province is growing, aided by the combined Iraqi security-MNF operations. Iraqi security forces are attracting a greater number of recruits in Anbar, demonstrating the determination of the people to participate in the fight against insurgents and al-Qaida, Khalilzad said.
Iraqi security forces are taking a greater role in leading raids and other operations against insurgents, militias and terrorists, the ambassador said. In May, the Iraqi Special Operations Force Brigade alone conducted more than 48 operations against terrorists.
Iraqi forces now have the security lead in seven provinces, including Maysan, Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and Dohuk, Khalilzad said.
Not all of Iraq's neighbors have been helpful in securing Iraq's borders, Khalilzad said: "Certain countries continue to support violent extremists who seek to undermine Iraq's political progress."
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will be extremely important to Iraq's long-term development and stability, the U.S. ambassador added. Discussions are under way on how to revise UNAMI's mandate to get a robust presence in Iraq to aid political and economic activities and to provide humanitarian assistance.
UNITED NATIONS REMAINS COMMITTED TO HELPING IRAQ
U.N. Special Representative for Iraq Ashraf Qazi said that the United Nations intends to be in Iraq "in sufficient numbers to meet the expectations of the people and government of Iraq. We have the capacity and intention to respond to any request from the government and the international community to play a greater role, circumstances permitting."
The United Nations has helped Iraq with a range of technical advice, but the key remaining decisions are political and need to be made by democratically elected Iraqi representatives and leaders in a way that strengthens a sense of popular participation and national unity, Qazi said.
"There is an urgency about the situation in Iraq that the international community needs to take note of and respond to. If the political and security situation in Iraq is not improved over the coming months, there is a danger that its several crises may escalate even further," he said.
The international community not only has a vital security stake in Iraq, it also has "an inescapable moral obligation to encourage and enable the government of Iraq" to build inclusive and cumulative processes that can bring about stability, the U.N. envoy said.
The council's president, Ambassador Johan Verbeke of Belgium, said that in addition to agreeing on the continuation of the MNF mandate, council members also "encouraged continued and robust U.N. assistance."
"The members of the Security Council reiterated their call upon the international community, particularly the countries in the region, to support Iraq in its pursuit of peace, stability and prosperity. They reaffirmed their strong support for the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Iraq," Verbeke said.
A transcript of Khalilzad’s remarks to the Security Council is available on the Web site of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
