SECRETARY-GENERAL HAILS INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT AS ANNUAL REVIEW CONFERENCE

OF COMPACT WITH IRAQ CONCLUDES BY ADOPTING STOCKHOLM DECLARATION

Following is the text of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s closing remarks at the Annual Review Conference of the International Compact with Iraq, in Stockholm, today, 29 May:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we have now come almost to the end of today’s proceedings.  I regret that due to the large number of delegations, we were unable to hear all interventions.  I urge those who wished to speak today, but could not do so due to time constraints, to submit the texts of their speeches to the United Nations Secretariat or to the host, so that they can be placed at the Compact website.

I now invite His Excellency Mr. Nouri al-Maliki to make a brief closing statement.  Excellency, you have the floor.

[Prime Minister al-Maliki speaks.]

I thank His Excellency Prime Minister al-Maliki for his remarks.  Please allow me now to say a few words about today’s Conference.

The fact that almost 100 delegations participated today speaks of the level of support for Iraq that exists in the international community.  The statements also reflect the sense of hope that Iraq has moved away from the abyss we feared most not so long ago.  It was appropriate for us to recognize the substantial progress made by the Government of Iraq in that regard over the past months, especially given the context in which it is operating.

At the same time, we recognized that more needs to be done to consolidate the gains made in implementing the Compact and improve the situation even further.  An emphasis was placed on national reconciliation, rule of law and respect for human rights, and equitable socio-economic reform and regional dialogue.  On the economic side, it was often noted that Iraq is not a poor country.  However, until Iraq is able to realize its full potential, we need to assist Iraq through a difficult transition.  We should look into expanding diplomatic and trade relations, promoting investments and undertaking joint projects.  In this way, we can move the Compact to a new level of cooperation and provide a valuable addition to the architecture of peace and stability in Iraq.

Also, displaced Iraqis still need help from the Government of Iraq and the international community as a whole.  The United Nations stands ready to continue providing strong support to Iraq in accordance with the mandate in [Security Council] resolution 1770 (2007).  Let us hope that our collective effort and further progress in Iraq on all these issues will allow us to meet next year, possibly in Baghdad, for an equally successful and productive Annual Review Conference of the International Compact with Iraq as the one we are about to conclude.  Thank you.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, we have now reached the last item of the agenda -- the adoption of the Conference Declaration.  As co-Chairs, we are grateful to those delegations that have provided useful and constructive comments and suggestions to earlier drafts.  These have been incorporated into the final draft to the maximum extent possible   I call upon you to adopt by acclamation the draft Stockholm Declaration you have before you.

Thank you.  The Stockholm Declaration has now been adopted.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you once again for your participation and for your strong support for Iraq and the Compact process.  Our particular gratitude goes to the Government of Sweden for being a gracious, generous and commendably effective host of the first Annual Review Conference of the International Compact for Iraq.  Finally, I thank His Excellency Mr. Nouri al-Maliki for his participation and strong leadership in the face of enormous challenges.

The meeting is adjourned.

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For information media • not an official record