Tells Iraqis to "give political transition a chance"

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
 
United Nations -- Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to "all parties in Iraq to refrain from violence, to respect international humanitarian law, and to give this process of political transition a chance."
 
Urging restraint, the secretary-general spoke at length April 28 about the problem of escalating violence and fighting in Iraq during a formal press conference the day after his special envoy for Iraq, Lakhdar Brahimi, outlined U.N. efforts to help with the political transition for a caretaker government when the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) ends on June 30.
 
"It is a difficult situation," the secretary-general said. "I am not pretending it is very easy to do it, but I think one has to be careful not to get it much worse."
 
Annan said he also counseled the U.S. authorities about the need for caution in Fallujah, Najaf, and Karbala, urging them to do all that is possible to avoid a violent confrontation that would play into the hands of the resistance and cause a broader reaction in the region.
 
"The reason I ask for caution is the more the occupation is seen as taking steps that hurt civilians and the population, the greater the ranks of the resistance grows," the secretary general said.
 
"It's definitely time now for those who prefer restraint and dialogue to make their voices heard," he said.
 
"There is nothing cowardly or faint-hearted about this approach. Those who venture into violent situations in the cause of peace run just as high risks as the soldiers do. It takes courage and dogged determination to work for peace in a violent world," Annan said.
 
Brahimi told the Security Council April 27 that despite the deteriorating security situation, a caretaker government of technocrats can be organized during May to give those who will govern a chance to prepare for their responsibilities. He said there is no alternative but to find a way of making the political process viable and press on for the June 30 handover and January 2005 elections.
 
The United Nations will help the Iraqis in forming the caretaker government, organizing national elections, establishing a government in January 2005 and in writing the constitution, the secretary-general said. The political process is "one of the most important and urgent tasks in Iraq today."
 
But the United Nations will not handle security, he said.
 
"I will never see a U.N. peacekeeping force under a U.N. representative. I think you will always have a multinational force that will work side-by-side with the U.N.," Annan said.
 
In his discussions with regional leaders, the secretary-general said he emphasized that "the stabilization of Iraq is everyone's concern and we need to find a way of pooling our efforts to work together to stabilize Iraq."

The new resolution being drafted in the Security Council to determine relationships after June 30 "is going to be a very important factor" in dealing with the security situation, the secretary-general added.
 
Annan said that in time, depending upon the security situation, he will appoint a special representative to take up residence in Iraq. For the time being, Brahimi will continue as the U.N. special envoy and Annan said he will send in small teams to do specialty tasks for short periods of time, such as Brahimi's political missions and the electoral assistance experts.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)