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Luers: U.S. Seems More Willing to Give UN Expanded Role in Iraq

Council on Foreign Relations

Interviewee: William H. Luers, President, United Nations Association of the United States of America
Interviewer: Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor

August 15, 2007

William H. Luers, a former U.S. ambassador who heads the United Nations Association of the USA, says the recent Security Council resolution authorizing increased UN diplomatic activity in Iraq marks a change in U.S. policy. He attributes this largely to the presence of a new U.S. ambassador and the new UN secretary-general, who recognize the brokers’ role the UN could play. Says Luers: “A UN team has to be ready to head out to talk to the Iranians, have some tough talks with the Turks, and particularly with the Saudis on their support for the Sunni insurgents, and begin a healing process.”

There is a flurry of activity in the UN Security Council and the U.S. government concerning increasing UN activity in Iraq. Can you describe what’s happened?

Every August, the UN Security Council has had to reapprove a presence of the United Nations in Iraq. As you remember, in August of 2003, the UN mission [in Baghdad] was blown up and Sergio Vieira de Mello, the special UN envoy, was killed along with many others and the mission shutdown. They renewed their presence a year later and have had a full level presence of fifty to sixty personnel every year since. They have done some work in the humanitarian area and were very important in organizing elections in 2005. Of course, special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi played a role putting together the first government in 2005.

And this year, in a move backed by the United States and other countries, the Security Council passed a resolution which in effect increased the mandate for the United Nations, both internally and regionally, and authorized an additional thirty or so personnel in the mission in Baghdad.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2007 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.