The UN has an opportunity to restore its reputation as a world body whose voice is heeded and, most importantly, whose recommendations are implemented. The international community can now have a go at solving the Iraq problem. The UN is assisting the Iraqis with forming a provisional government which will be vested with power by the Coalition Provisional Authority come June 30. The UN Security Council members are holding regular consultations regarding a new UN resolution on Iraq, envisioning arrangements for a transition political process in that country. The final text is expected to be agreed upon by May 18. Thursday, May 20, the Security Council will hold a public sitting on Iraq. Below, Valery Kuchynsky, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the UN, comments on UN aid in solving postwar problems in Iraq.
“Iraq, of course, remains one of the most pressing items on the UN agenda. How would you asses the current situation in that country? How could the United Nations stabilize it?”
“This issue has again become aggravated in the past month. Ukraine stands for a negotiated settlement, through a dialog involving all the interested parties. We believe that a political dialog is the only effective means to solve this problem peacefully. June 30 will witness an event having utmost significance for Iraq — and for the rest of the world, without overstating the fact! On that date, Iraqi sovereignty will be restored, meaning that the Iraqis will be able to run their country on their own. Of course, it doesn’t mean that the situation will get back to normal at once, that the wave of violence will immediately abate. Alas, international terrorism has found fertile ground in Iraq. It is necessary to assist the economic and political normalization process in a clearly defined and consistent manner. It’s an objective pursued by the United States, other Coalition countries, and the United Nations. After June 30, the UN will, of course, play an increasingly important role in Iraq. I believe the main thing is not to repeat any of the previous mistakes, meaning that the UN presence in Iraq should be restored gradually. Ukraine will in every way facilitate this process, both political and by means of our peacekeeping contingent there.
“A number of politicians have stated on more than one occasion that the UN potential can be put to effective use in Iraq. The UN has acted as an intermediary, since January 2004, in the formation of the provisional government, while assisting with arrangements for a nationwide election, working out a standing constitution, local administrative personnel training, and of course, international aid deliveries. I believe that it would be expedient to have the UN involved in working out a general strategy to get Iraq out of this crisis. Most UN member countries expect that the proposals regarding Iraq, submitted by the Secretary General’s Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi, currently busy in that country, will be supported by the UN Security Council, so that the Iraqis will elect a provisional government this summer, along with all the other required government-consultative vehicles.
“Without doubt, security is the key factor, upon which the whole process depends. Enhancing it will take a Herculean effort, and Ukraine is most actively involved. Adequate security arrangements must be made to provide for UN activities in Iraq. There is a possibility of deploying special UN security forces in that country; these, on a par with the multinational stabilization forces, must have a clear-cut UN Security Council mandate, a subject that will cause a heated UN SC debate this month.”
“Is it really necessary to transfer full control over Iraq to the United Nations?”
“It’s true that the United Nations must play an important role in Iraq, but it’s also true that its mission should not be regarded as a cure-all. Among the UN members are those very countries currently involved in and with the reconstruction of Iraq. I mean the United States, cutting quite some ice with the UN, as well as Great Britain, Russia, France, Germany, and Ukraine, currently participating in the multinational stabilization forces. Many analysts apparently overlook the simple fact that, before handing full control over to the United Nations, the Iraqis — all those ordinary people that had suffered under the rigid UN embargo for thirteen years, and whose views on this world body had formed, being heavily influenced by Saddam Hussein’s propaganda — should be asked first. Therefore, the role and place of the United Nations in Iraq should be determined in the course of a dialog with Iraqi society.
“Suppose the UN takes over full control tomorrow. Then what? Will everything change for the better at once? I’m not sure. Moreover, there is no denying the possibility that such an approach, given the circumstances, will cause events similar to what came to pass on August 19 last year, when the UN’s special envoy to Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello and more than twenty other persons died, with 100 others getting wounded, in a suicide bomber attack on the UN headquarters in Baghdad. The UN- return-to-Iraq strategy must be carefully planned and carried out stage by stage, with a mandate, functions, and means clearly formulated [and adequately provided for].
“The United Nations has a unique experience and unique opportunities worth being utilized. However, the recent failure, the referendum rejecting Kofi Annan’s Cyprus reunification plan, shows that UN proposals must first be supported by the population of the country where the UN is to operate.
“Much has been written about the need to commence a UN peacekeeping mission in Iraq. A good idea, but negotiating the arrangements would take between three and six months. The situation in Iraq allows no such luxury; it requires enlisting all efforts to normalize the situation.
“Maintaining security in time of crisis has been the most-practiced UN mandate of late. It has been applied in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Haiti, Cote d’Ivoire, and in a number of other African countries. In such cases, contingents that can be quickly provided by various countries are used, rather than the classical UN [peacekeeping] forces, provided these countries are authorized by the UN to act as peacekeepers in the crisis area, within a certain period. Precisely such forces are operating in Iraq, in keeping with Resolution 1511 (2003). And this is no digression from, or distortion of the classical peacekeeping mission pattern, rather, another stable option of the UN peacekeeping efforts. Too bad few can see the distinctions in such matters.”
“How does the UN feel about the Ukrainian involvement in the multinational forces in Iraq?”
“With understanding and respect. Understanding the importance of this mission and the risks involved, respecting the bravery of a well-planned action and a principled and consistent stand. As Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, I can’t think of a single occasion, ever since the outbreak of the Iraq crisis, when any of my colleagues at the United Nations would voice a single complaint about Ukraine’s position with regard to Iraq or our participation in the stabilization process there. Even the outspoken critics of US activities in the region note Ukraine’s peacekeeping presence and the high professional level of our men. Ukraine has always been regarded as a UN peacekeeping standard of sorts. This is remembered in many countries. As for Iraq, a Middle East diplomat told me in a private conversation that, in the East, the important thing is when you can offer help, not what or how much.”
“Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras have withdrawn their contingents from Iraq. What will Ukraine do in a situation with coalition members leaving the ranks?”
“We will continue to carry out missions laid down in UN SC Resolutions 1483(2003) and 1511 (2003), meaning that we’ll keep helping maintain stability and security in Iraq. The Security Council addressed the UN member states in May and then in October 2003, urging to help the Iraqis restore their country by assisting with the establishment of stability and security in that country, including aid by dispatching contingents. Ukraine was among the first to respond and we will uphold our mission.
“Of course, we can understand the reasons for the Spanish withdrawal. However, I’d like to remind you of what the Ukrainian Foreign Minister said — that the Spanish decision would not be an example Ukraine would follow. At this stage, the matter of Ukraine withdrawing its contingent is not on the agenda. Our contingent has the sole mission of helping the Iraqis restore law and order, making their country stable, rebuilding their economic and social infrastructures, bringing about important political changes. I believe that we are effectively coping with this task. As you know, our performance is appreciated not only by the coalition command, but also, and most importantly, by the populace, Iraqis living in the province of Vasit. Ukraine’s principled and consistent stand toward Iraq makes it imperative that we stay by the Iraqi people’s side at this time of ordeal. What would happen if the international military presence suddenly vanished in that country? A civil war? Chaos? Is this what the international community would want to happen? What that region would want to see in the Middle East? I don’t think so. Others don’t think so, either. Most UN SC members agree that the peacekeeping mission in Iraq should continue, so as to help the newly formed provisional government stand on its feet and prepare the ground for a stable [democratic] regime.”
