S/PV.6145
6145th meeting
Thursday, 18 June 2009, 10 a.m.
New York
The situation concerning Iraq
Mr. Dabbashi (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) (spoke in Arabic): At the outset, I would like to say how pleased we are at seeing you, Mr. President, personally presiding over this meeting, which reflects your great interest in the situation in Iraq. We would also like to thank Mr. Staffan de Mistura for his extensive briefing and for all his efforts as Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq. We acknowledge and commend the excellent role played by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) under his leadership. I should also like to thank Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati, Permanent Representative of Iraq, for his valuable statement.
UNAMI has done substantial work in the period under review. It has had great success despite all the challenges and difficulties it faces, especially in the area of security. We would therefore like to underscore the need to strengthen the role of the United Nations and its specialized agencies in Iraq as an alternative to the presence of foreign troops in Iraq.
Also in this period, Iraq has made great progress on the political front by holding local elections in 14 provinces in January, including elections for provincial councils. In that regard, we should like to acknowledge and commend the efforts of UNAMI and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to support the Independent High Electoral Commission and to resolve disputes about internal boundaries in Iraq. We hope that tensions in the area of Kirkuk can be brought to an end and that a political solution can be achieved in line with Iraq’s Constitution that satisfies all parties and strengthens the unity of all segments of Iraqi society.
We urge the Mission and the Special Representative to continue their neutral role, so as to build confidence between the parties, encourage national reconciliation and help to promote dialogue. We also urge them to work in consultation with the Iraqi Government to achieve consensus among all parties on disputed matters and to establish lasting security throughout Iraq, which is a prerequisite for development and prosperity.
The ongoing tensions and military operations in the period under review once again lead us to reiterate that the continued presence of occupation forces, under whatever format, will be a cause for continued instability. The withdrawal of such forces will contribute to achieving national reconciliation, which is essential for Iraq’s stability, reconstruction and prosperity, as well as an important element in promoting and strengthening relations with its neighbours. Withdrawal would also contribute to reducing the level of support enjoyed by armed groups and factions, especially those that claim that they are operating against foreign troops in Iraq.
In that regard, I would like to mention paragraph 48 of the report (S/2009/284) of the Secretary-General, which refers the readiness of the Iraqi Security Forces to take over responsibilities from the multinational forces. We hope that that process will be expedited.
The Secretary-General’s report also states that there is a possibility that Iraq’s budget deficit for the 2008 fiscal year could reach $15.9 billion. Were that to occur, it would be the highest deficit in the past six years. That could hinder or delay reconstruction and impede the implementation of Iraqi Government policies. We hope that the rise in the price of oil may contribute to reducing or completely eliminating that figure. In that regard, we would like to emphasize that it is important that the countries that led the invasion of Iraq bear the responsibility for financing the special international funds set up to assist the country.
On the humanitarian front, we note with satisfaction the ongoing return of internally displaced persons and refugees. However, we continue to be very concerned about the fact that there are still millions of Iraqi refugees outside the country, especially in neighbouring States. We hope that the Iraqi Government and United Nations agencies will give top priority to the issue of the return of refugees and provide the necessary contingencies and conditions for that to occur.
In spite of the relative progress made in the area of human rights, we continue to be concerned about certain incidents that have resulted in the deaths of several civilians and politicians, as we are about killings and attacks against various groups in Iraqi society.
We are also very concerned about the fact that more than 15,000 persons are being detained by the occupying forces and that Iraqi authorities have rearrested some of them as soon as they are freed from detention facilities under the control of foreign forces. Iraqi authorities hold those people under difficult circumstances, without having secured arrest warrants against them from the judiciary and without giving them fair trials. We hope that that will change soon.
The situation in Iraq today is very different from what it was when resolution 661 (1990) was adopted. The time has come for the Security Council to take the necessary steps to allow Iraq to resume the international and legal status it enjoyed before that instrument was adopted.
