S/PV.5910
5910th meeting
Friday, 13 June 2008, 10.40 a.m.
New York
The situation concerning Iraq
Mr. Ettalhi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): We would like at the outset to welcome Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iraq. We highly appreciate his presence and we thank him for his comprehensive statement. We express our pleasure at the optimism that he has expressed.
In addition, we would like to thank you, Mr. President, for the briefing you presented in your national capacity. We also thank Mr. Ibrahim Gambari and Mr. Warren Sach for their briefings.
We express our satisfaction with the content of the letter from the Iraqi Foreign Minister to the President of the Council (S/2008/380, annex) as well as what the Minister said in his statement before the Council today regarding the progress Iraq has achieved on various fronts, including in the security, political and economic spheres. We are also pleased with the situation regarding Iraq’s relations with other States, especially its neighbours. This progress was reaffirmed by all the other speakers who briefed us this morning.
As the Foreign Minister said, there is no doubt that the Iraqis still face many challenges, but as we said in a statement delivered before the Council on 28 April (see S/PV.5878), the history of Iraq has taught us that the Iraqis have always been able to put their country’s interests first and to rise from the ashes stronger and with deeper faith and greater determination.
We had hoped that Iraq would not need the mandate of the MNF to be extended before the end of the year. But it appears that, in the view of the Iraqi Government, security conditions are not yet propitious, despite the great improvement in the security situation that previous speakers have noted this morning. The most prominent element of this is the fact that it has been possible to impose the rule of law in Basra and to confront and disarm armed militias throughout Iraq, along with a drop in violence and sectarian bloodshed to unprecedentedly low levels.
We are confident that Iraq is eager to preserve its sovereignty, and we hope that conditions will quickly improve and stabilize. Continued improvements in security and stability are linked with national reconciliation and with the need to convince all Iraqi parties that they have an opportunity for equal power- and resource-sharing in the context of setting aside ethnic and sectarian differences. Here, we welcome the efforts of the Iraqi authorities and the substantial progress that has been achieved. We hope that the provincial elections planned for October will reflect national reconciliation, a renunciation of sectarianism and a reaffirmation of Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity.
We are gravely concerned over the legal and humanitarian situation of Iraqi detainees, especially those held by coalition forces, among whom are large numbers of children. We remind all those concerned that they have legal obligations they must respect. We also recall reports issued by international organizations on the harsh conditions endured by Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Easing their suffering and working to ensure conditions under which they can return must be a priority for the Iraqi authorities, as Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki stated today. The main indicator of stability in Iraq is the return of refugees and IDPs to their homes. We believe that this is indispensable for continued stability, security and development in Iraq.
My country strongly supports all efforts and arrangements aimed at stabilizing the security situation in Iraq, in a manner that does not run counter to Iraq’s sovereignty, in particular efforts to rebuild the armed forces and security institutions, to put an end to the dissemination of weapons, to impose the rule of law and to reactivate development on the basis of genuine national reconciliation, with a view to safeguarding Iraq’s unity, territorial integrity and identity.
My delegation attaches high value to the activities of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) in all fields, and it supports a continued — and increased — presence by the United Nations and its specialized agencies.
Iraq requires huge investment if it is to rebuild what was destroyed in the invasion and to kick-start development efforts. We believe that the international community must shoulder its responsibilities in that regard. Here, we welcome the 29 May Stockholm Conference. We hope that all parties will understand the burden Iraq bears as a result of prior obligations and its impact on reconstruction and development. In our region, we all realize that Iraq’s stability — with everything that this concept implies — is the cornerstone of the stability and indeed the prosperity of the entire region.
In conclusion, we express our appreciation for the draft statement proposed by the delegation of the United States.
