Ban encourages Iraq to implement outstanding UN issues in order to get out from under Chapter 7

May 14, 2010 · Posted in NEWS
5/14/2010

UNITED NATIONS, May 14 (KUNA) — UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday encouraged Iraq to implement all remaining obligations under Security Council resolutions, mainly the ones related to Kuwaiti missing and property, before getting out from under Chapter VII of the UN Charter.

“I encourage resolution of outstanding issues to enable normalisation of Iraq’s international status in accordance with resolution 1859 of 2008.

I am hopeful that Iraq will make a concerted effort to expeditiously fulfill its Chapter VII obligations, including those related to Kuwait,” Ban wrote in a report to the council on the activities of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).

Such actions, he added, “could help to create a positive momentum in the Security Council when it reviews outstanding Chapter VII mandates on Iraq.” No date has been set for such review.

Ban said he was “pleased” to report on progress towards the finalization of a Kuwaiti grant to assist the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights to localize, identify and exhume Kuwaiti human remains buried in mass graves in Iraq by the former Iraqi regime during its invasion of neighbouring Kuwait in 1990.

He expressed hope that the support lend to his High-Level Coordinator on Missing Kuwaiti Persons and Property Gennady Tarasov will “further the momentum towards cooperation and build confidence between the two countries.”

He also noted that regional cooperation will be “essential for Iraq’s long-term stability,” urging Iraq and its neighbours to pursue the resolution of all contentious issues between them, including land and maritime issues and the safe return of refugees.

On the political front, Ban said the coming months will be a “critical period” for Iraq as ongoing negotiations to form a new Government intensify.

“A long drawn out Government formation process will not serve the interests of the Iraqi people. I therefore urge political leaders to move swiftly and work together in a spirit of national unity to build a cohesive and inclusive Government and ensure that the transition is peaceful,” he urged.

“These are the responsibilities that come with democracy and fall on all political entities, especially those that have won the largest number of seats. In order not to lose time, I would encourage all political blocs to conduct negotiations on the Government formation process in parallel with the finalization of the formal electoral process,” he further urged.

“I firmly believe that the Government formation must remain a sovereign and Iraqi-owned process and free of outside interference,” he added, offering UN assistance if requested by the parties concerned.

Once the new Government is formed, he noted, it will have to deal with major challenges including national reconciliation, resolving outstanding Arab-Kurdish issues, the sharing of natural resources, constitutional issues, effective public administration, human rights, IDPs and refugees and reconstruction and development.

Leaving these outstanding issues unresolved, he warned, “will impact negatively on the political and security situation in northern Iraq.”

On the planned drawdown of the US Forces from Iraq later this summer, Ban said UNAMI is now considering “alternative arrangements” to ensure that its security and logistic requirements are met.

He suggested a “significant” increase in resources from Member States if the United Nations is to maintain or increase its activities in Iraq.

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