US, UK resolution to boost UN Iraq role

United Nations, Aug 8: The United States and Britain introduced today a resolution charging the United Nations with trying to bring together Iraq's embattled factions as the two Western powers contemplate ultimately leaving.

The resolution, expected to be approved on Thursday by the 15-nation Security Council, would upgrade the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, or UNAMI, which would also include promoting dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors.

''The UN needs to play an enhanced role in helping the Iraqis overcome the difficulties they have at the present time,'' US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, formerly Washington's envoy to Baghdad, told reporters after a council debate.

''The UN can, given its comparative advantage, play a role in facilitating and helping Iraqis get to that goal'' as well as getting regional powers to support Iraqi reconciliation and dealing with refugee problems, he said.

Some major Iraqi players, such as top Shi'ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, were willing to talk to the United Nations but not the United States or Britain, Khalilzad said.

Since it was set up four years ago, UNAMI has focused mainly on helping with elections and monitoring human rights.

UN staff were withdrawn from Iraq after their Baghdad office was blown up, killing 22 people, five months after the March 2003 US-led invasion, but some later returned.

UNAMI currently has about 50 international staff in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone government and diplomatic complex. UN officials said they hoped to increase that figure to cope with the new tasks.

Khalilzad acknowledged UN security concerns stemming from the 2003 bomb attack and said the United States was prepared to help with extra resources. He gave no details.

NO OPPOSITION The invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein ended the domination of Iraq by its Sunni minority, empowering the long downtrodden Shi'ite majority and the Kurds. Iraqi factions have struggled since then to govern the country together while violence by militant groups has killed tens of thousands.

Neither the US nor the British government has given a withdrawal date but both face publics increasingly opposed to the troop presence there. Khalilzad said there had been been no discussion at today's debate of a pullout timetable.

No opposition is expected in the Security Council to the resolution, to which Russia has already given broad assent.

UNAMI's current mandate expires on Friday.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe, a former US diplomat, said a key issue was Iraqi government cooperation.

''We believe we can work in the range that's in that new mandate ... The real question for us is how fast ... the Iraqi government wants to move,'' he said.

The new UNAMI mandate will come as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appoints a new UN representative for Iraq to replace Ashraf Qazi of Pakistan, who has served for three years. Pascoe said Ban was ''very close to making a final decision.'' Under its new mandate the mission would ''advise, support and assist'' Iraqis on ''advancing an inclusive, national dialogue and political reconciliation,'' reviewing the constitution, fixing internal boundaries and staging a census.

It would promote dialogue between Iraq and its neighbors on border security, energy and refugees, assist the return of millions of people who have fled the violence, coordinate reconstruction and aid, and help promote economic reform.

An earlier version was circulated last week. The new version added paragraphs stressing the need to address the humanitarian plight of Iraqis and the duty of the parties to the conflict to protect civilians and allow aid through.

Reuters>