He219
12-16-2003, 10:19 PM
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20031216/capt.xnyr61212162201.un_iraq_xnyr612.jpg
Iraq's Minister Says U.N. Failed His Nation (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/un_iraq)
UNITED NATIONS - Iraq (news - web sites)'s foreign minister accused the United Nations (news - web sites) on Tuesday of failing to rescue his country from Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s 35-year "murderous tyranny." He urged the world body not to fail Iraq again and to return to help build a democratic nation.
But Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) said he needed "much greater clarity" on what the Iraqis and the U.S.-led coalition expect of the United Nations. That would help, Annan said, to gauge whether the job (news - web sites) was worth the risk to U.N. staff.
Annan pulled all U.N. international staff out of Iraq in October after two bombings at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad and a series of attacks on humanitarian organizations. The first bombing on Aug. 19 killed 22 people, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Annan presented the Security Council with a report — issued last week — in which he said Iraq remained too dangerous to reopen the Baghdad U.N. office. Instead, he said, the world body would open an Iraq office in Nicosia, Cyprus, and an annex in Amman, Jordan, with staff traveling to Iraq as needed. The operation will be under the leadership of newly named acting envoy Ross Mountain.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the Iraqi Governing Council understood "the devastating losses that the U.N. suffered" but said the world body needed to return to play an expanded role in helping to establish a provisional Iraqi government in June, draft a constitution, and prepare for general elections by the end of 2005
The United Nations has always worked in "war-torn regions and crisis areas — and Iraq is one of them," he stressed.
"The United Nations is the key forum for collective international action (news - web sites) to help us achieve our goals of restructuring and democratizing our country," he told the council. "Your help and expertise cannot be effectively delivered from Cyprus or Amman."
"We are ready and willing to help provide whatever security is required to see it return to Iraq," he said, adding later that "the Interior Ministry can provide whatever aid or help is needed to improve security for the U.N."
Zebari invited Mountain, the new U.N. envoy, to visit Baghdad and discuss the U.N.'s role with the Governing Council — a move U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte called "a good first step."
But Annan said he wasn't sure Zebari was "in a position to offer that security," though he would be happy if he could. He said he planned to ask Zebari about the security offer and specifics of the U.N. role at a meeting late Tuesday.
While paying tribute to the United Nations and its humanitarian relief efforts that helped millions of Iraqis during recent years, Zebari accused the world body of failing to take action to oust Saddam.
"One year ago, the Security Council was divided between those who wanted to appease Saddam Hussein and those who wanted to hold him accountable," he said. "The United Nations as an organization failed to help rescue the Iraqi people from a murderous tyranny that lasted over 35 years. Today we are unearthing thousands of victims in horrifying testament to that failure."
"The U.N. must not fail the Iraqi people again," Zebari said. "So we ask you today, please put aside your differences, pull together and work with us and all those who have contributed and sacrificed so much to realize our shared objective of a sovereign, united and democratic Iraq."
The Iraqi minister said afterwards that "we were critical of not only the U.N. but many other nations ... for doing nothing to help us overcome those years of dictatorship and tyranny and utlmost brutality."
Asked about the criticism, Annan said "this is not time to pin blame and point fingers when everybody is trying to figure out how creatively we can organize ourselves to help the Iraqis."
Annan urged the international community to ensure the restoration of sovereignty to the 26 million Iraqis which he stressed would "define the future of their country."
While there may not be time to organize elections early next year, Annan said, "it is essential that the process leading to the formation of a provisional government is fully inclusive and transparent" and that every segment of Iraqi society feels represented.
Iraq's Minister Says U.N. Failed His Nation (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/un_iraq)
UNITED NATIONS - Iraq (news - web sites)'s foreign minister accused the United Nations (news - web sites) on Tuesday of failing to rescue his country from Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s 35-year "murderous tyranny." He urged the world body not to fail Iraq again and to return to help build a democratic nation.
But Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) said he needed "much greater clarity" on what the Iraqis and the U.S.-led coalition expect of the United Nations. That would help, Annan said, to gauge whether the job (news - web sites) was worth the risk to U.N. staff.
Annan pulled all U.N. international staff out of Iraq in October after two bombings at U.N. headquarters in Baghdad and a series of attacks on humanitarian organizations. The first bombing on Aug. 19 killed 22 people, including top U.N. envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
Annan presented the Security Council with a report — issued last week — in which he said Iraq remained too dangerous to reopen the Baghdad U.N. office. Instead, he said, the world body would open an Iraq office in Nicosia, Cyprus, and an annex in Amman, Jordan, with staff traveling to Iraq as needed. The operation will be under the leadership of newly named acting envoy Ross Mountain.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the Iraqi Governing Council understood "the devastating losses that the U.N. suffered" but said the world body needed to return to play an expanded role in helping to establish a provisional Iraqi government in June, draft a constitution, and prepare for general elections by the end of 2005
The United Nations has always worked in "war-torn regions and crisis areas — and Iraq is one of them," he stressed.
"The United Nations is the key forum for collective international action (news - web sites) to help us achieve our goals of restructuring and democratizing our country," he told the council. "Your help and expertise cannot be effectively delivered from Cyprus or Amman."
"We are ready and willing to help provide whatever security is required to see it return to Iraq," he said, adding later that "the Interior Ministry can provide whatever aid or help is needed to improve security for the U.N."
Zebari invited Mountain, the new U.N. envoy, to visit Baghdad and discuss the U.N.'s role with the Governing Council — a move U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte called "a good first step."
But Annan said he wasn't sure Zebari was "in a position to offer that security," though he would be happy if he could. He said he planned to ask Zebari about the security offer and specifics of the U.N. role at a meeting late Tuesday.
While paying tribute to the United Nations and its humanitarian relief efforts that helped millions of Iraqis during recent years, Zebari accused the world body of failing to take action to oust Saddam.
"One year ago, the Security Council was divided between those who wanted to appease Saddam Hussein and those who wanted to hold him accountable," he said. "The United Nations as an organization failed to help rescue the Iraqi people from a murderous tyranny that lasted over 35 years. Today we are unearthing thousands of victims in horrifying testament to that failure."
"The U.N. must not fail the Iraqi people again," Zebari said. "So we ask you today, please put aside your differences, pull together and work with us and all those who have contributed and sacrificed so much to realize our shared objective of a sovereign, united and democratic Iraq."
The Iraqi minister said afterwards that "we were critical of not only the U.N. but many other nations ... for doing nothing to help us overcome those years of dictatorship and tyranny and utlmost brutality."
Asked about the criticism, Annan said "this is not time to pin blame and point fingers when everybody is trying to figure out how creatively we can organize ourselves to help the Iraqis."
Annan urged the international community to ensure the restoration of sovereignty to the 26 million Iraqis which he stressed would "define the future of their country."
While there may not be time to organize elections early next year, Annan said, "it is essential that the process leading to the formation of a provisional government is fully inclusive and transparent" and that every segment of Iraqi society feels represented.