UN team in Iraq for rebuilding

2004-08-14 08:51

New York - The United Nations special envoy for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, and a small team of staff arrived in Baghdad on Friday to attend the Iraqi national conference and begin work on helping the political transition in Iraq.

Qazi's arrival in Baghdad was announced by UN headquarters in New York, which said "the team is proceeding to go about its work, which will include the special representative's attendance of the national conference".

Qazi is the first UN envoy to return to Iraq since his predecessor, Sergio Vieira de Mello, and about two dozen other UN workers were killed in Baghdad last August 19 by a massive bomb attack against their headquarters at the Canal Hotel in the Iraqi capital.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had promised to return the UN mission to Iraq, but said continuing insecurity would hamper the deployment of a larger staff.

The mission was given a one-year mandate this week by the UN security council to help the interim government in Baghdad with the political transition leading to the establishment of full-fledged government by December 2005.

The main task of the UN is to help organise elections and reconstruction of the war-torn country. - Sapa-dpa

- SAPA