We need greater United Nations involvement in Iraq by Ted Turner, United Nations Foundation Sun-Sentinel 4:12pm 1st Oct, 2004   September 30 2004    Tonight, President Bush and Sen. John Kerry will square off in the first of three presidential debates - this one focused on international affairs. Iraq is sure to be a central issue, and the two candidates can be expected to put more emphasis on their differences than on the positions they share. To a degree, such a debate is healthy for our nation and for the future of Iraq.    But the inevitable "Iraqization" of domestic politics should not obscure the fact that both candidates and most Americans share a common-sense belief in the need for greater United Nations involvement in Iraq. Indeed, the stability and long term security of Iraq depend greatly on the ability of the U.N. to assist in organizing elections, meeting the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and, ultimately, helping to gain acceptance for a new Iraqi government within the community of nations.    President Bush said as much recently in his speech to the U.N. General Assembly when he acknowledged that "officials from the United Nations are helping Iraqis build the infrastructure of democracy." He also urged the U.N. to "do more to help build an Iraq that is secure, democratic, federal and free."    President Bush knows that nothing is more important to his national security goals than establishing democracy in Iraq; but democracy can't evolve without free and well-run elections, and those elections won't happen without the U.N.    The electoral assistance division at the United Nations has already helped draft new Iraqi laws to govern the balloting. It has also worked with Iraqis to establish an independent electoral commission, consisting of representatives from different religious, political and tribal groups. The Iraqi commissioners will decide where the polling places should be; how the ballots should be made, marked, and counted; and how the public should be informed about who can vote, how to vote and where to vote. No one who lived under Saddam Hussein's regime has any experience with free elections. Most Iraqis will be starting from scratch. U.N. staff will have to advise on every issue, each step of the way.    The U.N. must do this, because the U.S. government cannot. If it tried to play this role, the elections would have little credibility in Iraq or other countries in or out of the region. That's why former Republican Sen. John Danforth, now our U.N. ambassador, has said: "The greater U.N. participation in Iraq, the better."    For his part, Sen. Kerry has strongly embraced the call for a special "U.N. Protection Force" to enable U.N. experts to perform their duties safely.    This is no small consideration. One year ago last month, a suicide bomb destroyed the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad, killing 22 U.N. staff and associates. The U.N. workers in that compound had come to Iraq to help restore electricity, clear landmines, feed the hungry and house the homeless. They risked and ultimately sacrificed their lives so that average Iraqis might enjoy better and more normal lives. The U.N. special representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, died that day as well.    In the U.S., there is some confusion about the U.N.'s role. U.N. leaders represent all countries, and, at times, might not see eye-to-eye with U.S. officials. This is inevitable; but disagreement on some issues does not prevent cooperation on most issues. And the U.S.-U.N. partnership over the decades has proven to be crucial. Without the U.N., the Cold War could have ended very differently and much more disastrously.    Americans who criticize the U.N. should understand that others fault the world body for not doing more to check U.S. influence and power. Muslim extremists, for example, blame the U.N. for not preventing the war in Iraq; for not stopping the suffering of Palestinians; and for imposing sanctions against Iraq, which we now know -- along with U.N. inspections -- kept Saddam from acquiring chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.    If the U.N. is able to do its job and organize elections in Iraq, the U.N. staff who participate will be risking their lives for the same cause our soldiers are -- to help the people of Iraq build a stable democracy. Of course, no group puts more at risk every day than the Iraqi people, who continue to be the innocent victims of terrible violence.    The important role of the U.N. may get lost in the presidential debate, but it is important for all Americans to remember that there really is no debate about the critical role the U.N. must play. Our interests and those of the Iraqi people will best be served by giving the U.N. the help it will need to hold elections safely, fairly and on schedule.    (Ted Turner is founder and chairman of the United Nations Foundation). Visit the related web page
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