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U.N. mission in Iraq set to end Dec. 31; U.N. pledges continued country-team presence and election assistance
Summary
The United Nations Secretary-General said at the Baghdad summit that the U.N. mission in Iraq is expected to end on Dec. 31, and that the U.N. will remain in Iraq through its country team to support development and provide election assistance to the Iraqi government.
At the League of Arab States summit in Baghdad, the United Nations Secretary-General said the U.N. mission in Iraq is scheduled to end on Dec. 31 of this year and that the United Nations will maintain a presence in Iraq through its country team to continue development work and provide election support.
"In Iraq, we are proud that our mission will be able to end in the December 31 this year," the secretary-general said, adding that Iraqis should be able to resolve pending issues by dialogue. He said, "the UN will remain in Iraq with its country team, operating for the development of the country, and we will be providing also... the election assistance that might be required by the government of Iraq."
Nut graf: The statement frames the mission closure as a transition from a U.N. mission to a sustained country-team presence focused on development and electoral assistance, signaling a change in the U.N.'s operational posture in Iraq.
The secretary-general described confidence that remaining issues in Iraq could be resolved domestically through dialogue and that the end of the mission reflects progress. He did not provide operational details about the handover of responsibilities, staffing changes or specific election-assistance programs.
Ending: The U.N. will continue a development and advisory presence in Iraq after the mission's scheduled Dec. 31 end; details on the scope and timeline of election assistance were not specified.
