Attachments
Baghdad, 15 September 2014 – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq (SRSG), Mr. Nickolay Mladenov today attended the Paris International Conference on Peace and Security in Iraq.
In his remarks delivered on behalf of the Secretary-General, Mr. Mladenov called upon Member States to cooperate in enforcing the sanctions adopted by UN Security Council resolution 2107 (2014) calling on those states to act to suppress the flow of foreign fighters, financing and other support to Islamist extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, and to hold accountable the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of their horrific terrorist acts, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Mr. Mladenov further underlined that growing international consensus to fight Islamist extremist groups must also be governed by international laws and standards that uphold the protection of civilians. “A military solution alone would not be enough”, he said. “A political process and a comprehensive roadmap for re-engaging all communities in the country’s decision-making process remain vital”, he added, underscoring that the root causes of violence need to be addressed and tackled through a package of reforms that resolve the legitimate concerns of all communities without exception.
“This is why the formation of a new, broad-based and inclusive Government was an important first step”, Mr. Mladenov noted, highlighting the fact that “disaffected constituencies, particularly those who are currently located in conflict areas, can and should be brought back into the democratic political process”.
Addressing Iraq’s relations with its neighbours, Mr. Mladenov noted that “today, Iraq and its neighbouring countries have an unprecedented opportunity to re-start positive bilateral relations based on mutual interests and partnership”. He welcomed the recent Jeddah Communique in which the states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the United States declared their shared commitment to stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism.
Before concluding, Mr. Mladenov took the opportunity to encourage all members of the international community to continue to work closely with the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government and to extend the security, humanitarian and developmental assistance needed. “The United Nations stands ready to support Iraq and the region by coordinating the political, social, humanitarian and financial efforts needed to address the current crisis, and will continue to make every effort to assist the Government of Iraq in pursuing a real and genuine national dialogue and reconciliation, providing humanitarian assistance and relief, supporting socio-economic recovery and development, and strengthening the country’s re-engagement with its regional neighbours”, he affirmed.
For more information, please contact: Ms. Eliana Nabaa, Director of Public Information/Spokesperson United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Phone: +964 790 193 1281, Email: nabaa@un.org or the UNAMI Public Information Office: unami-information@un.org