Re: UN to broaden role in Iraq

Jose, whose motives are clear, selectively edited this article which he swiped from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2144426,00.html

See what he edited below:

Wednesday August 8, 2007

The United Nations security council is set to agree a resolution tomorrow to expand its role in Iraq
in spite of overwhelming opposition from the organisation's staff.

Although the UN often goes into extremely dangerous situations, its staff association, which represents 6,000 people in New York and 18,000 involved in peacekeeping and other operations overseas, voted unanimously today against deployment in Iraq because of the high risks. It also called for the removal of existing staff from the war-torn country.

The UN insisted today that it can go ahead in spite of staff opposition and would be able to find people to fill the new posts.
..

President George Bush is pressing the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, to beef up the UN operation in Iraq. The UN scaled back in 2003, after a bomb killed its envoy, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and 21 other staff at its Baghdad headquarters.

Amnesty International‘s Secretary General Irene Khan had complained that the original draft was completely "silent on the gross human rights abuses taking place on a daily basis in Iraq, and on the deepening humanitarian crisis in the country."

Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs B. Lynne Pascoe told reporters after briefing the council Tuesday that the new mandate would enable the U.N. to work on issues "that clearly need to be done out there," especially national reconciliation, humanitarian assistance and dealing with the millions of Iraqis who have fled their homes.

The security council resolution will widen the UN role to cover a range of issues from border security to political reconciliation and rehabilitation of former combatants.

Although not mentioned in the text, it will open the way for an increase in its Iraq staff complement from 65 to 95 by October. The security council is also seeking $130m (£65m) to build a fortified compound in Baghdad. The US has offered to help with the costs.

The secretary general could compromise: accepting the new, broader role but to placate staff, keep personnel increases in Baghdad to a minimum.

The staff association voted "not to deploy any additional staff members to Iraq and to remove those currently serving at the duty station in Baghdad until such time as the security situation and environment improves".

It noted "the unacceptably high level of risk to the safety and security of UN personnel currently serving in Iraq and that the breakdown of law and order in Iraq has created a place where aid workers have become targets and pawns".

The security council draft resolution is sponsored by the US and Britain. Mr Bush was initially cool about involvement of the UN in the immediate postwar period but now, amid all the anarchy, has been persuaded that it could play a useful role.

The previous secretary general, Kofi Annan, had also been reluctant to become involved in Iraq, viewing it as a mess of Mr Bush's making.

The draft resolution proposes that the UN's present limited remit be changed to allow the UN special envoy, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, of Pakistan, to "advise, support and assist" the Iraqi government in political, economic, electoral, legal, constitutional, refugee and human rights matters. Mr Qazi is due to stand down in October.
The present staff ceiling of 65 in Iraq would be increased to 95.

A UN spokesman, Farhan Haq, expressed confidence today that the UN would fill any new posts. He said that the UN fulfilling additional duties did not necessarily mean an increase in staff and he did not anticipate a large number on the ground. The 95 posts was the ceiling and the actual number could be fewer: the present ceiling is 65 while the actual number in Iraq is 55. "We have not had problems getting staff for Iraq so far," he said.

He added that the concerns raised by the staff vote were already built into any UN operation. "We do not deploy unless we are sure that security exists. We monitor security daily and keep numbers to a level that is safe."

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to the UN, said of the new resolution: "The UN needs to play an enhanced role in helping the Iraqis overcome the difficulties they have at the present time."

He said the US was prepared to increase its contributions to the UN to help with the new deployment.



My comment: If Bush is turning to the UN for help, he must REALLY be desperate!
.

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