Press conference by Secretary-General’s special representative for iraq

Iraq was at a crucial time, and the Iraqi people needed to address the challenges confronting them in a national context, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq told correspondents at a Headquarters press conference this morning.

For Iraq to successfully transition, it was extraordinarily important that it keep a national focus, Mr. Qazi said, describing the current situation in that country.  The Iraqis did have a sense of being Iraqi.  They also had a self image of being secular.  They saw the present phase of identity-based politics as being something of recent vintage.  On the street, Iraqis did not deal with each other as Sunni and Shia.  In their daily lives, Iraqis transcended the sectarian divide.

Even when the Iraqis had lived under tyranny, they had lived under a sort of secular tyranny, he added.  While every society had traditional fissures, they had not traditionally defined Iraq’s politics.  While there might be some danger of that happening, Iraqis overwhelmingly wanted to transcend that divide.

How could that divide be transcended in a Government that did not seem to be based on secular divisions? a correspondent asked.

The Government formation process, like any other political process in Iraq, would have to reflect the realities which were, to a large extent, defined by identity-based politics.  The Government formation process, however, was taking place on a shared perception.  There was reason to believe that that awareness would influence the Government formation process.  Specific proposals were on the table for the political leadership to discuss the need to ensure the formation of a Government of genuine national unity.  To that extent, there was real hope that the Government formation process would respond to the challenges of the moment.

Asked to elaborate on his comments yesterday in the Security Council on the security situation in Iraq, Mr. Qazi noted that the security posture of the Multinational Force in the international zone was expected to change, which would involve handing over increasing responsibilities to the Iraqi security forces.  As that would impact on the security environment of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), they were in close consultations with the Multinational Force, including the United States, and with the Iraqi authorities with regard to the implications for the Mission’s security.

The Mission planned to relocate its team from its present position to another site over the next 18 months and would also be situated in an interim place, he added.  To that extent, the United Nations was in constant consultations with the authorities regarding the changing security environment.  Security was the overarching, guiding principle for the Mission’s stay in Iraq.

On the overall general security situation, security as such was not part of the Mission’s mandate, he said.  The Mission did, however, carry out training programmes with respect to law and order maintenance authorities, particularly to increase the ability of ministries to deliver services and to be aware of their obligations under international humanitarian law.  That was the essence of the Mission’s security involvement.

Asked whether Iraq was currently in a state of civil war or on the verge of civil war, Mr. Qazi said there was a worrying situation in the aftermath of the bombing of the Shia shrine in Samarra on 22 February.  There was a low-grade vicious sectarian conflict that had intensified in the aftermath of that incident.  While he would not characterize the situation as a civil war, unless the situation were brought under control, there could be a progressive decent to ungovernability and a degrading of the internal security situation.  That was bad enough, as it affected the quality of the political discourse between the parties and would complicate the Government formation process.  The Parliament had convened, and there was an absolute need for that process to be completed as soon as possible so as to have a broad-based Government of national unity to address such situations effectively.

He said there was fear that if Samarra-like outrage visited upon the Iraqi people again, some of the political leadership might lose control over the streets, worsening the situation.  He did believe, however, that the presence of the Iraqi security forces and the Multinational Force formed a blockage that would not allow the situation to escalate into civil war.  While the current situation was worrying and bad sectarian violence did exist, Iraq was not on the verge of civil war.  Sectarian violence had become as important a threat to Iraq’s security as insurgency violence.

What specifically needed to be done to bring the situation under control? a correspondent asked.

Responding, he said the Government had been in constant consultation with the cabinet ministers and political leadership of other parties and entities.  He had been invited to attend those meetings.  A number of measures had been agreed upon and promulgated by the Government.  There had been other agreements between entities to calm down the situation, including appeals to prayer leaders not to make inflammatory sermons and to the media to desist from inflammatory descriptions of the situation, an investigation into the Samarra incident and the imposition of a curfew.  While those measures addressed the immediate situation, a set of longer term measures was needed in order to build trust so that the situation did not remain “hostage” to the perpetration of an outrage.

The feeling was that, were another such incident to take place, the whole situation could further drift towards some kind of civil war, he said.  He did not personally believe Iraq was any where close to a civil war, but a decent into ungovernability.  While a set of longer-term measures was also being discussed, the Government was preoccupied with the Government formation process.  The urgency to form a Government of national unity as early as possible in view of recent challenges was essential.  Those very situations, however, had complicated that process.  A number of steps would be needed to form a Government.  While the situation was difficult, it had so far been under control.  The underlying causes also needed to be treated in order to stabilize the situation.

There was no immediate danger of the situation in Iraq spilling over its borders, he said in response to another question.  While the situation was worrisome, it was under control, and immediate measures had been taken to put a lid on it.  And while there was no reason to even fear such a scenario, there was every reason to be concerned about political stability in Iraq right now.

The Arab League Summit, he said in response to another question, would deal with a range of issues, including Iraq.  In that regard, he had proposed the establishment of a contact group that would comprise Iraq’s neighbours at a working level to meet in Baghdad at a regular interval.  It was still a proposal, however, that was not yet agreed upon.  He hoped to develop that proposal, and he believed that there was support in principle from almost all neighbouring countries.

Asked to comment on the specifics of the Iranian offer today to talk to the United States about the situation in Iraq, he said he had not read the details of the offer and could not, therefore, comment on it in detail.  In principle, it was a good thing for neighbours to talk with each other and to the countries in Iraq.  Without knowing about the offer in detail, he would say it is a welcome development provided it was acceptable to all sides.  The Contact Group would provide an opportunity for all neighbours to discuss what regional countries could do.

Asked to describe the relationship between Iran, Iraq and the United States regarding the situation in Iraq, he noted that at the Governmental level, Iran and Iraq had a good relationship.  Within Iraqi politics, however, there was difference of opinion on the role that various neighbours could play.  Often those views were at odds with each other.  The United States had expressed its concern regarding the role of some of Iraq’s neighbours with respect to Iraq.  That was known.  Dialogue between the various parties would be a good thing.  Within that context, the proposal for a regional contact group was relevant and had the potential for further promoting dialogue among all the parties.

The contact group was a United Nations proposal, he said in response to another question.  It would be a regional contact group that would include Iraq’s neighbours.  The intra-Iraqi forum, the regional forum and the Sharm el-Sheikh process, a larger international forum, would need to interface with each other, to address the situation in Iraq.

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For information media • not an official record