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U.N. votes to expand presence in Iraq
11.8.2007
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August 11, 2007
UNITED NATIONS -- The Security Council voted
unanimously yesterday to expand the United Nations'
presence in Iraq to help tackle political, economic
and humanitarian problems that have so far eluded
the U.S., British and Iraqi governments.
The resolution directs the U.N. to help reconcile
rival factions and to mediate territorial disputes
-- such as in the northern Kurdish territory, where
there is a pending referendum on the future of
oil-rich Kirkuk.
The U.N. mission should also promote talks with
Iraq's neighbors on border security and refugee
issues, and should rally international support for
rebuilding the country, the resolution says.
The United States and Britain, which have the
largest military forces in Iraq and co-sponsored the
resolution, have been pushing the world body to do
more in the country because they believe that the
U.N. is perceived as more neutral and can approach
ethnic and religious leaders they cannot.
"The U.N. has an impartiality; it can talk to people
and work with all the parties," said Britain's
ambassador, Sir Emyr Jones Parry. "We want to see
conditions for the U.N. to be in a position to do
more."
Specifically, the United States and Britain envision
a series of U.N.-brokered talks with competing
groups within Iraq, as well as meetings with Iraq's
neighbors. They would be under U.N. auspices, but
with the blessing of the Iraqi government and the
backing of the United States and Britain, the powers
that can guarantee implementation of the outcome.
Spokesmen for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's
Dawa party and a key Shiite faction, the Supreme
Islamic Council of Iraq, welcomed expanding the U.N.
role, as long as that does not interfere with the
Iraqi government's decisions.
The resolution says the U.N. role should be expanded
"as circumstances permit" -- an important concession
to the security -conscious world body, which has
kept only 65 staffers in the country since a 2003
bombing of its Baghdad headquarters. But even with a
skeleton staff, the U.N. has helped set up an
interim government, draft the constitution, organize
elections and channel aid through a larger
headquarters in Jordan.
Previous U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan resisted
greater involvement because he thought that it put
the organization's staff and its integrity at risk,
by appearing to support an invasion that the United
Nations had refused to back.
The new secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, has been
receptive to U.S. overtures to broaden the U.N. role
in Iraq, though some critics worry that the United
States and Britain are trying to hand off problems
they can't solve -- or pave the way for an early
withdrawal.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad reassured the
Security Council that the United States "will
continue to shoulder all of its responsibilities to
assist Iraq's government and people." Britain's
ambassador echoed that pledge: "There is no question
of handing over responsibilities or passing the
buck," said Sir Jones Parry. "What we're trying to
do is intensify all the efforts being made -- that
means all of us have to work harder."
The move comes at a time of growing Bush
administration frustration over its inability to
quell insurgent violence or to get Iraq's neighbors
to play the kind of constructive role for which they
have hoped for three years. Mr. Khalilzad implicitly
blasted Saudi Arabia in comments last month at the
United Nations for not keeping insurgents from
flowing across its borders into Iraq, and two recent
face-to-face meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart have yet to
yield tangible results.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense
Secretary Robert M. Gates traveled to the Middle
East last week to try to win support from Iraq's
neighbors -- including Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, Syria and Turkey -- but came away largely
empty-handed.
Iraqi officials and religious leaders gave a
cautious welcome to the news of greater U.N.
involvement. Shiite and Kurdish officials have long
been wary that greater international participation
could be used by Iraq's Sunnis and neighboring Arab
states to take power away from them.
In the spring of 2004, Shiites were initially leery
of U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who had been sent by
the world body to help broker Iraq's transition from
occupation to sovereignty.
UN | La.times com
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