UNITED NATIONS - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on the Iraqi
government to do more to foster national unity, warning the violence-ridden
country was in "grave danger" of collapsing into civil war.
The United Nations
Secretary General Kofi Annan addresses a high-level panel discussion on
Iraq beside Iraqi President Jalal Talabani (L) at the United Nations in
New York. Annan warned Iraqi and US leaders that urgent action must be
taken now to drag Iraq back from the brink of all-out civil war.
[AFP] |
He also urged on Monday more "urgent international engagement," saying a lack
of sufficient support would "guarantee" the failure of efforts to secure peace.
Annan was addressing a meeting of foreign ministers, including U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice, to discuss the implementation of the International
Compact for Iraq, a five-year plan to ensure Iraq's government has funds to
survive and enact key political and economic reforms.
Iraqi leaders are "at an important crossroads" as the country faces a
persistent insurgency and rampant sectarian violence, Annan said.
"If they can address the needs and common interests of all Iraqis, the
promise of peace and prosperity is still within reach," he said. "But if current
patterns of alienation and violence persist much longer, there is a grave danger
that the Iraqi state will break down, possibly in the midst of a full-scale
civil war."
"The most immediate task is to broaden support for the kind of action at the
national, regional and international levels that can bring Iraq from the brink,"
he said.
The Iraqis, in turn, promised to tackle security issues, address the problem
of illegally armed groups and promote a national reconciliation plan aimed at
embracing all groups that condemn terror and violence.
"We don't have a choice. We must succeed," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar
Zebari told reporters, speaking on a day in which bombers and gunmen across Iraq
killed at least 41 people. Authorities also found at least five bodies,
including two women, that probably were victims of reprisal killings being waged
between Shiite and Sunni Arabs
Monday's meeting, held on the eve of the annual U.N. General Assembly debate,
was one of a series to discuss the International Compact for Iraq, which was set
up in June, shortly after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took office, to
"consolidate peace and pursue political, economic and social development."
U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said another meeting on the
compact would be held in early October in Baghdad and expressed hope the
five-year-plan would be finalized by the end of the year.
Rice said the U.S. was proud of the contribution it was making to the
international community's efforts on thist, and proud of what the Iraqis have
achieved so far, according to one of the meeting participants.
She also said they should all meet again in November to further state what
their contributions are going to be, the participant said, speaking on condition
of anonymity because her remarks were made during the closed part of the
session. It was not clear how that meeting might be connected to the one Malloch
Brown mentioned.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, outlined his country's plans to
ensure security and enact economic and good governance reforms.
He said other priorities included developing efficient and accountable
security forces, along with a program for the demobilization, disarmament and
reintegration of militias that will include retraining the members and creating
employment opportunities for them.
In a rare official acknowledgment, Talabani said the government "recognizes
that the infiltration of the security ministries by criminal elements and
members of terrorist groups represents a major challenge."
Sunni Arabs have alleged the Interior Ministry, which oversees the Iraqi
police forces, is infiltrated by Shiite militias that are blamed for many
sectarian killings.
The meeting also drew delegates from Iraq's neighboring countries, including
Iran, which the U.S. has accused of interfering in Iraqi politics and allowing
insurgents to cross the border. Tehran denies those allegations.
The meeting participant said Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki took
advantage of the forum to criticize the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, saying the
roots of mayhem in Iraq lie in a unilateral decision that was taken in 2003 and
decrying the erroneous and double-standard policies by foreign troops in the
country.
A senior U.S. State Department official, who also declined to be identified
because the discussions were closed, said the Iranian outburst and something the
Syrians said, which he did not explain, were the only discordant notes of the
session. He also stressed the urgent need to find a solution to Iraq's problems.
"This conflict, this civil conflict, has to be brought to a close," he said,
calling the atmosphere of sectarian violence "very very poisonous."
Associated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Anne
Gearan in New York contributed to this story.
