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15/09/2004
UN input into Iraqi elections threatened by 'lack of security'
Following on from yesterday's horrific car bombing in Baghdad which claimed the lives of 47 people, the UN has warned that a "lack of security" is undermining the world body's efforts to assist in elections set for January.
The top UN envoy for Iraq said that the effectiveness of next year's electoral process could only be guaranteed through UN participation – but this would only happen if security is improved.
Speaking yesterday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi warned that the extent and scale of UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) activity to assist in elections would "necessarily be determined by prevailing circumstances including the security environment". However, Mr Qazi said UNAMI remained committed to actively supporting Iraq's Election Commission in administering and monitoring the process.
He added: "The tragic human dimension of the current situation in Iraq was brought home to all of us today, with almost 50 people losing their lives in yet another bombing.
"It is a sign of the resurgence of the vicious cycle of violence that is halting the process of rebuilding the country. Improving the security situation is a collective responsibility that we all share."
In his latest Iraq report, Mr Annan said that international staff in the country were "operating at the outer limit of acceptable and prudent risk" and warned that UN presence on the ground was limited until further notice.
Most international staff were withdrawn last year after a terrorist bomb ripped though UN offices in Baghdad, killing Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.
(gmcg)
The top UN envoy for Iraq said that the effectiveness of next year's electoral process could only be guaranteed through UN participation – but this would only happen if security is improved.
Speaking yesterday, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi warned that the extent and scale of UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) activity to assist in elections would "necessarily be determined by prevailing circumstances including the security environment". However, Mr Qazi said UNAMI remained committed to actively supporting Iraq's Election Commission in administering and monitoring the process.
He added: "The tragic human dimension of the current situation in Iraq was brought home to all of us today, with almost 50 people losing their lives in yet another bombing.
"It is a sign of the resurgence of the vicious cycle of violence that is halting the process of rebuilding the country. Improving the security situation is a collective responsibility that we all share."
In his latest Iraq report, Mr Annan said that international staff in the country were "operating at the outer limit of acceptable and prudent risk" and warned that UN presence on the ground was limited until further notice.
Most international staff were withdrawn last year after a terrorist bomb ripped though UN offices in Baghdad, killing Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 others.
(gmcg)
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