S/PV.6675 Security Council

I thank Mr. Kobler for his briefing. I now give the floor to the representative of Iraq.

Allow me at the outset to congratulate you, Sir, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I would also like to thank the previous President of the Council, the Permanent Representative of Portugal, for his efforts during the month of November. I also congratulate Mr. Martin Kobler on his assignment as Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Iraq, and I wish him success in his new position. In addition, I thank Mr. Kobler and his team in Baghdad and New York for their sincere efforts in helping the Government and the people of Iraq. After reviewing the important points mentioned in the Secretary-General’s report on the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (S/2011/736), my country’s delegation would like to address the following issues. The political and security situation in Iraq has witnessed tremendous and notable improvements in the past few months. The coming year will bring great challenges and responsibilities for the Iraqi Government after the United States forces withdrawal by the end of this year. However, the strategic framework agreement between Iraq and the United States will underpin the next stage of the relations between the two countries at the political, economic, technical, cultural, and scientific levels. Here I would like to take this opportunity to thank the United States forces and the United States Government and all the countries that have helped Iraq to bring about democracy, human rights, the rule of law and stability in the country. As Mr. Kobler noted, some of yesterday’s challenges are still the same today for Iraq and the Iraqi Government. Regarding the implementation of the status-of- forces agreement between the United States and Iraq, on 1 October the United States air force transferred control over the Iraqi airspace in the Baghdad/Balad sector to the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority. All air traffic in this area, which is the busiest and most complicated in Iraq, is now conducted by Iraqi air- traffic controllers. With this step, Iraq has assumed complete control over its airspace, for the first time since 2003. Iraq also took over control of 485 military bases from United States forces as part of the plan for a complete withdrawal by the end of the year. I would like to inform the Security Council that my Government has worked hard in recent months to improve its defensive capabilities to stand against terrorist attacks, to protect internal security and to save democracy in Iraq. In this context, I would like to point to Mr. Kobler’s praise of the improvements in the security situation in Iraq, which are in line with the perceptions of the United Nations about the future of Iraq through 2015. As part of the successes achieved by the Iraqi security forces since they took charge of security duties in the country, a statement by the Ministry of Health showed that the number of civilians who were killed in acts of violence had decreased to 110 in September 2011, compared with 155 in August 2011. That number represents the second-lowest number of casualties in the space of a month for this year; this shows clearly the huge decrease in violent attacks, which reached their peak in 2006 and 2007. The Government of Iraq affirms that the duty of officials in all Government sectors is to meet the demands of citizens using all of the capabilities of the Government. Although the Government inherited a bad situation and a heavy burden of debt from the former regime, it is working to alleviate the burden on citizens and to provide them with the best possible services. The General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers in Iraq and the United Nations Development Programme launched the United Nations Global Compact in Iraq on 15 October 2011. The agreement is aimed at empowering the private sector through sustainable collaboration based on the principles of human rights, a sustainable environment and business transparency. The Iraqi Government is moving forward to solve the electricity crisis in Iraq through a plan that is being implemented at a steady pace. In addition, the Government has taken a number of urgent measures aimed at relieving the intensity of the crisis until a final solution is reached. Those urgent measures include the distribution of additional quantities of fuel to a number of sub-generator units in order to provide a relative level of comfort to citizens, especially during the summer. My Government asserts that the oil is the property of all Iraqi citizens, and that the duty of the Government is to invest this energy in a way that provides the best return for citizens. In this context, the Southern Gas Company signed an agreement in principle with the Shell and Mitsubishi oil companies on 22 October 2011 to establish a joint company to benefit from the natural gas associated with oil in the province of Basra. That step was taken after decades of wasting the natural gas wealth associated with oil. The Iraqi oil industry maintained its monthly production levels; crude-oil exports for the month of September 2011 totalled 63.1 million barrels, with average daily exports of 2.1 million barrels. The Oil Ministry is currently aiming to increase its production levels to 2.9 million barrels a day in order to reach this year’s goal, which is 3 million barrels a day. Iraq is witnessing today a new era in which the foundations of democracy, personal and private freedoms, freedom of the press and expression, the freedom to create political parties, political diversity and a peaceful transition of power are being established. We in Iraq are also working to strengthen the foundations of the culture of human rights in all sectors, so as to ensure that all Iraqis, from different ethnic, religious and sectarian backgrounds, enjoy their basic rights as stated in the Constitution. As part of the efforts made by the Iraqi Government to determine the fate of missing victims in mass graves, the Ministry of Human Rights is preparing, in collaboration with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Martyrs Association, to launch a national campaign in all Iraqi provinces and the Kurdistan region aimed at establishing a national database for victims in mass graves using DNA samples to identify them. In that context, on 24 October the Ministry of Human Rights signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Martyrs Association to establish an organizational structure in order to begin the process of identifying victims in mass graves. The Iraqi Government has endeavoured to assist social groups that are less fortunate, especially the disabled. The Ministry of Human Rights announced its readiness to hold training sessions in sign language at Iraqi national institutions in order to support the deaf and enable them to perform their role in society. The Iraqi Government is also endeavouring to spread and establish the culture of human rights. The National Institute of Human Rights, along with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, organized, on 18 October 2011, an advanced training session for human rights professors at Mosul University. The Iraqi Minister of Human Rights stated, during his meeting with Mr. Francisco Mota, Director of the Human Rights Office of UNAMI, on 12 October 2011, that the Ministry was conducting regular visits to detention centres and prisons. Those visits are welcomed by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Supreme Judicial Council. The Minister also expressed the Ministry’s readiness to arrange for joint visits with the UNAMI Human Rights Office to Iraqi detention centres and prisons to evaluate the human rights situation there. For his part, Mr. Mota pointed out that he had contacted Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to view the reports that they had issued, and he stressed the need for the statistics and information included therein to be accurate. The political changes and reform movement that began within the context of the Arab Spring prove, without any doubt, that we have selected the correct political process in Iraq since 2003. They also prove that Iraq has been a pioneer in achieving political change and in adopting democracy through elections and the peaceful transfer of power as a process for political life in the new Iraq. Iraq asserts the importance of holding the Arab Summit Conference in Baghdad on the designated date at the end of March next year, as we have completed all the preparations and finished all the necessary projects for holding the Summit. My Government believes that it is the time to hold the Arab Summit because it is very important to the Arab world after the changes that have taken place in the region. That imposes a duty on Iraq, in line with its leading role, to face the changes in the region in order to find appropriate Arab solutions to deal with the situation in a way that meets the aspirations and hopes of the Arab people. The Government of Iraq, based on its deep belief in people’s right to express aspirations and choose their legitimate representatives, voted on 16 September in favour of the General Assembly resolution that accepts the credential documents of the Libyan National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people to the United Nations (General Assembly resolution 66/1). That was preceded by my Government’s recognition of the Libyan National Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the Libyan people. I would like to point out that the Council of Ministers, as part of its support for the democratic changes in the region, issued a decision at its meeting on 19 October to send a delegation from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission to Tunisia, headed by Mr. Faraj Al-Haidary, Chair of the Board of Commissioners of the Commission, to express solidarity with the Tunisian people in their elections. The Council of Ministers also decided to provide $1 million as a contribution to the success of that election. Despite the challenges that it faces, Iraq is committed to its humanitarian role in the world in times of disasters and crises. That was reflected in the Iraqi Government’s decision to donate $10 million to help the victims of the earthquake in Japan and by its decision of 25 August to donate 22,500 tons of wheat and $5 million to support the efforts of the Somali Government in fighting the effects of drought and hunger in the Horn of Africa. My Government also donated $2 million to finance the activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Iraq is committed to respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and to not allowing the use of Iraqi territories to attack neighbouring countries. In that regard, I would like to point out the statement of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs of 20 October that denounced the terrorist attacks by armed groups affiliated with the Kurdish Workers Party on Turkish towns near the Iraqi border. At the same time, the Iraqi authorities condemn the bombardment by Turkish and Iranian forces of Kurdish villages on the border of the two countries, which caused civilian causalities. We would like to affirm that Iraq is committed to solving all unresolved issues with our neighbour Kuwait. I would like to assure the Council that there is positive collaboration between the Iraqi and Kuwaiti Governments to settle all unresolved issues between the two countries that were the result of Saddam Hussein’s aggression against Kuwait and his invasion in 1990. As Mr. Kobler said, he was encouraged by the goodwill of the two countries. I reaffirm my country’s commitment to resolving the remaining issues under the framework of the related resolutions adopted by the Security Council. I also affirm that the relationship between Iraq and Kuwait is developing positively. In that context, I would like to point out the approval in August by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers to establish a committee to coordinate efforts regarding the Kuwaiti national archives. The committee is chaired by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and its membership comprises representatives of the Council of Ministers, the Ministries of Defence, Interior, Finance, Justice, Higher Education and Scientific Research and the Central Bank of Iraq. Regarding the port of Mubarak, we assert that we are dealing with the issue of the port through official channels and collaboration with the Kuwaiti side. I would like to point out that Prime Minister of Iraq Nuri al-Maliki announced his acceptance of an invitation from the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, Sheikh Naser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah, and stated that he intended to visit Kuwait this month. However, the visit was postponed after the resignation of the Kuwaiti Prime Minister. We affirm that Iraq has achieved great progress in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation, resulting in the adoption of resolution 1957 (2010), which lifted all restrictions and sanctions imposed on Iraq after the invasion of Kuwait. That has paved the way for Iraq to return to the international community. That was affirmed by the Director-General of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during his meeting with Mr. Hoshyhar Zebari, Foreign Minister of Iraq, in The Hague on 7 September, when he stated that he valued the complete cooperation of Iraq in fulfilling its obligations as a member of the Organisation. He also affirmed the cooperation of the competent Iraqi authorities to close the file on weapons of mass destruction. He expressed his appreciation of Iraq’s supportive and positive role in getting rid of such weapons. I would also like to mention the successful visit by the inspection team of the Technical Secretariat of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons from 1 to 5 May, the assertion of the head of the inspection team of the success of the visit at all levels and his praise of Iraq’s flexibility. I would also like to mention the letter dated 3 December 2011, sent by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari to the Secretary-General and, through him, to the members of the Security Council, regarding the steps taken by Iraq to implement its obligations under resolution 1957 (2010). In that letter, Mr. Zebari mentioned decision No. 119 of the Council of Ministers, dated 12 April, to approve the first stage of the removal process for the decommissioned Al-Muthanna facility, which was used by Saddam Hussein’s regime to produce chemical weapons. The Council of Ministers also designated approximately $5 million for the project. The letter also discussed Iraq’s outstanding cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency inspection team. With regard to Camp Ashraf, which was addressed in detail by Mr. Kobler, I would like to assure the Security Council that my Government does not want to force anyone to return to Iran. Moreover, we believe that approximately 900 of the residents hold dual nationality. We very much encourage them to go back to the countries of which they hold the nationality. The relocation decision, which will be implemented by the end of the year, will help the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to interview the people in the camp and to decide of their own free will what they intend to do. With the camp residents preventing the Iraqi forces and Government from entering, we do not know exactly what is going on. That is Iraq’s sovereignty. There is no country in the world that, with respect to sovereignty, allows people to be in the country without that country’s authority. However, we believe that we need the help of the countries and members of the Security Council to assist us in taking some of the residents of the camp so that we can conclude this issue once and for all. According to our Constitution, we cannot allow any group inside Iraq that attacks neighbouring countries. That will cause great problems. In conclusion, I would like to affirm my Government’s appreciation for the role performed by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq and for the efforts of the Special Representative in providing the support requested by the Iraqi Government, in accordance with the mechanisms agreed upon by the two parties.

There are no further speakers inscribed on my list. I now invite Council members to informal consultations to continue our discussion of the subject.