Statement delivered by Mr. Vice Skracic, Minister Counsellor of the Republic of Croatia to the United Nations, on the situation in Iraq.
Mr. President,
As this is the first time we are taking the floor this month, my Delegation would like to congratulate you on assuming the Presidency for the month of August and assure you of our full support. I would also like to thank Ambassador Minh of Viet Nam and his Delegation for their excellent work in July. We also thank Under-Secretary General Pascoe for his informative briefing, as well as both US Ambassador Wolf for his update on the ongoing efforts on the part of the Multinational Force in Iraq, and the Permanent representative of Iraq for his remarks.
The present report of the Secretary General on UNAMI once again has shown that Iraq is making strong, albeit measured progress especially in the security and political fields. Croatia welcomes the assessment made by the Secretary General on more than one occasion that “due to concerted political and military efforts, there has been continued improvement in the security situation across Iraq”. We believe that these efforts, aimed at creating an adequate and reliable as well as safe and secure security environment for all Iraqis, are commendable.
Although we note that casualties amongst both Iraq's security forces and the civilian population continue to occur at unacceptably high levels, we have noted with satisfaction the increased cooperation and partnership demonstrated by local officials with the Government, that has been coupled with Iraqi security forces' renewed efforts to break the cycle of violence. This strengthened cooperation with local elements has proven to be crucial to the success of a number of security operations conducted during the reporting period against rebel or terrorist groups, with increasing levels of success.
This being said, we do recognize, as is mentioned not only in the report of the Secretary General but also in the draft resolution before us that many security challenges remain in Iraq. More needs to be done to ensure civic and political freedoms, and the wider human rights situation throughout Iraq remains alarming. While we understand the many challenges associated with simultaneously attempting to strengthen and uphold the institutions of democracy while faced with armed rebel groups and criminal gangs, responsible for abductions, assassinations and numerous other crimes, we hope that in addressing these issues that Iraqi police and security forces manage to strike the necessary balance between public safety and upholding international humanitarian and human rights law with that of the need to stamp out the operations of these criminal gangs.
And while it goes without saying that security must be a prerequisite for any successful political process, we also need to keep in mind that democracy is an ongoing practice that requires both time and resources to succeed. We welcome UNAMI's continued work with Iraq's Independent Electoral Commission, and welcome [as was just now mentioned by the Permanent Representative of Iraq] that with UNAMI's professional guidance and assistance the Iraqi Government was able to overcome the remaining problems associated with the passing of the new provincial electoral law, including on the inclusion of women candidates. The adoption of this electoral law will not only provide a platform in which local elections can take place this year, but can also give ordinary Iraqis a chance to make a difference in those areas they are best acquainted with – their local communities.
The Constitutional review impasse continues to be of concern for my Delegation, especially as the stumbling blocks to the success if this operation, are being revisited time and again. We hope that the Constitutional Review Committee, which itself recognizes that the stumbling blocks are mainly political in nature, manages to use the time requested till the end of this year in order to address these issues and finalize their report.
Moreover, we continue to be concerned with the persistent and ongoing problems associated with the passage of laws on hydrocarbons, especially when taking into account Iraq's increasing oil revenues that need to be managed effectively and responsibly for the benefit of all Iraqis. We hope that the committee of central and regional government officials established to resolve these outstanding issues completes its work in a timely manner.
Croatia also welcomes the confidence building efforts being conducted by UNAMI in regard to helping to address the issue of disputed internal boundaries, with the analyses conducted and presented on several areas in Northern Iraq, and hope that the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government will continue to use the good offices and advisory role provided by UNAMI to find a solution to the internal boundaries question as soon as possible.
As was mentioned in previous reports, we recognize that wider regional cooperation and dialogue are crucial for the long-term stabilization and prosperity of Iraq and its surroundings. The active and willing engagement of neighboring countries in strengthening Iraq's international standing is essential in this process. We are pleased to see that a number of neighboring countries – Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates – have all announced that they will be resuming full diplomatic representation in Bagdad, and welcome especially the visit by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Ergodan to Iraq in July this year. This, along with Iraq's accession to the Gulf Cooperation Council, the successful holding of the Third Expanded Ministerial Conference of Neighboring Countries in Kuwait in April this year as well as the annual high-level International Compact with Iraq Review Conference in Sweden, also in April, are all vital for Iraq's continued reconstruction and development.
Mr. President,
Allow me to finish by reiterating Croatia's belief that UNAMI, under the able leadership of Special Representative de Mistura and his staff, continues to be well placed to undertake a central and leading role in the international efforts aimed at helping Iraq overcome the plethora of challenges it is still faced with, including but not limited to it's role in assisting the central and local government in advancing political as well as economic dialogue, assisting in the constitutional reform process and facilitating dialogue on the regional level.
The progress achieved thus far gives us hope that the Iraqi people are determined to overcome these challenges so as to transform Iraq into a fully integrated and consolidated member of the international community. We support them in this goal.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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