UN’s Iraq envoy warns against danger of further conflicts in region by United Nations News 12:58am 15th Mar, 2007   15 March 2007    UN’s Iraq envoy warns against danger of further conflicts in region.    The senior United Nations envoy to Iraq today pledged the world body’s continued support for the war-torn country, especially through dialogue with its neighbours, while warning of the danger that would be posed by any additional conflicts in the already volatile region.    “The United Nations is determined to encourage the neighbouring States to develop a sustained and constructive dialogue to minimize the prospect of Iraq’s tragedy being exacerbated by the wider problems of the region,” Ashraf Qazi told the Security Council in an open meeting that saw the participation of over a dozen speakers.    “This needs to be encouraged by the wider international community,” he added. “All concerned should do their utmost to ensure that further conflict in the region is avoided lest this sets up a dynamic that spirals out of control.”    Mr. Qazi, who has been in talks with leaders across the region, said he had been “repeatedly struck” by calls from them and Iraqi officials for greater UN involvement. “The Government and people of Iraq deserve the best the UN can offer in terms of facilitating reconciliation, as well as refugee, human rights and humanitarian protection processes,” he said.    Reporting on recent developments, the envoy said the new security plan for Baghdad had produced mixed results; the number of violent incidents and unidentified tortured bodies had decreased, but “there is a widespread belief that the problems posed by militias are in temporary abeyance” while mass casualty attacks continue.    Mr. Qazi noted that re-establishing security requires political progress, and called for the Government “to accord the highest priority to bringing about genuine political reconciliation among the diverse peoples of Iraq without which no security, political or economic process will bring lasting stability to the country.”    Looking to the meeting scheduled for tomorrow in New York on the International Compact for Iraq (ICI), a five-year plan for the country’s advancement, Mr. Qazi voiced hope that participants would “agree on tangible steps that would result in the official launch of the initiative, thereby setting in motion a national, regional and international process to assist the Government of Iraq in fulfilling its obligations to its people.”    Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking to reporters earlier today, also said the meeting should spur progress. “By holding this Compact tomorrow morning, we hope that this will give, first of all, a substantially and politically important message to the Iraqi people, so that they will be encouraged to do their own to bring peace and security to their country, and also to give a strong message that the international community is behind them to support their noble efforts,” he said.    12 March 2007    Ban Ki-moon voices hope recent Iraq meeting will spur progress on key issues.    Welcoming a recent diplomatic meeting on Iraq, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today voiced hope that it would spur progress on key issues, including those affecting its neighbours, which he said must play a constructive role in promoting stability in the country.    “The Secretary-General is encouraged by the discussions held in Baghdad on Saturday in preparation of a meeting of foreign ministers of the countries neighbouring Iraq,” his spokesperson, Michele Montas, said in a statement.    Mr. Ban voiced hope that the “positive atmosphere of the meeting,” will carry over into the “activities of the working groups formed on border security, refugees and internally displaced persons and fuel imports.”    The Secretary-General sent his Special Representative, Ashraf Qazi, to the conference, which was attended not only by Iraq’s neighbours, but also by representatives of the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.    Through his spokesperson, Mr. Ban reiterated his call for “countries around the region and for the international community more broadly to play a constructive role in support of a stable, secure and democratic Iraq.”    Meanwhile, in a report released today, the Secretary-General warns that the “rising levels of violence, terrorist attacks and sectarian conflict that have gripped large parts of Iraq are increasingly acquiring a self-sustaining dynamic that could overwhelm the country’s fragile political processes and institutions.”    The report on the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) describes its work in support of the country’s political process, but warns that “if the cycle of violence is not brought under control, efforts made over the past several years could be jeopardized.”    The report echoes Mr. Ban’s statement today stressing the importance of dialogue with Iraq’s neighbours, while pointing out that only the country’s “people themselves can determine their common destiny and agree upon the structure of the Iraqi state.”
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