UNITED NATIONS, Feb 17 (NNN-KUNA) — The UN Special Envoy for Iraq Ad Melkert has said that the period following the Iraqi elections next month should be dedicated to promote “constructive” relations with Kuwait after a period of “turbulence.”
“A next post-election priority will be the endeavour to promote constructive neighbourhood relations between Iraq and Kuwait, in conclusion of a period of turbulence,” Melkert told the Security Council in a briefing on his work in Iraq Tuesday.
Melkert said he visited Kuwait and Iraq last month to get a first-hand impression on the position of the two sides. “I was pleased with the keen interest demonstrated by my interlocutors on both sides in resolving all outstanding issues in the period ahead,” he said.
“This would be an important step in the council’s deliberations on resolution 1859 (no date set) and hopefully pave the way for a new era in the relationship between Iraq and the UN,” he added.
Melkert said acceptance of the election results is of “paramount importance, and will be the litmus test for the success or failure of the (democratic) process” in Iraq.
He predicted that the preliminary results will be published in the days following the elections, but final results “could take considerable time,” as the Federal Supreme Court will certify the election results once all appeals have been resolved.
With a new government in place during the course of the year, he said, “there is an opportunity for the UN to transform its support to primarily humanitarian tasks into a more development and policy reform oriented advisory role.”
“Integration will be the name of the game of the UN contributions,” he said.
He added that the UN is in the final stages of producing the first UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Iraq for the period 2011-2014, prepared in close collaboration with the Iraqi government.
He said despite the “regrettable” terrorist attacks, those evil forces “cannot reverse the progress that is taking place in Iraq. The determination of Iraqis to resist the return of the perils of the past is real and strong, stronger than the heinous forces behind the attacks.”
He noted that “more international attention and engagement is needed for allowing the people of Iraq to determine their future in their own way.”
He said “full transparency and combating corruption in revitalizing the oil industry would be of major impact to the future and it will improve investors’ confidence.”
On the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq next August, Melkert said “there will be considerable implications for the way that the UN can organise itself to respond to future demand for presence and programmes.” He did not elaborate.
He added that the UN is “currently exploring the arrangements for the future,” noting that continued presence “will come with a higher price tag.”
Iraqi UN Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati told the council that in the framework of his government’s efforts to resolve outstanding issues with Kuwait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a public announcement on Feb 1 requesting that Iraqis possessing Kuwaiti documents seized during the 1990 occupation deliver them to the ministry.
He said the security situation in Iraq continues to improve, despite occasional attacks targeting Iraqi civilians.
He noted that 196 Iraqis died in terrorist attacks during January 2010, compared to 306 casualties in December 2009.
He also noted that the Ministry of Planning is studying a project to instal 10,000 surveillance cameras in Baghdad, aimed at securing greater capacity for monitoring and investigation.
The improved security situation, he argued, encouraged hundreds of thousands of displaced Iraqis to go home from abroad where they had no jobs and no resources.
He reiterated, in this regard, his government’s request to the Security Council last August to set up an independent international commission of inquiry to investigate the terrorist attacks that rocked the capital Baghdad and which he believes are master-minded from a neighbouring country, which he did not name.
“My government still looks forward to a positive response from the Security Council to stop the bloodshed in Iraq,” he stressed.
On the economic situation in the country, Al-Bayati said 15 companies from around the world won service contracts for seven Iraqi oil fields.
He predicted that oil field development projects will increase Iraq’s oil production and that average production during the next six years will reach six million barrels per day (bpd), and 12 million bpd by 2020.
He indicated that exported oil production last month has increased to 1.98 million bpd, predicting that it will reach 2.325 million by the end of the year.
As a result, he noted, the average person’s share of Iraqi oil revenues will rise from USD 1,534 in 2010 to USD 3,361 in 2015, and to USD 9,488 in 2020.
Consequently, he added, the federal budget expenditures in Iraq are also predicted to increase to USD 132 billion in 2015 and to USD 256 billion in 2020, which will be reflected on the accumulated investment allocations totalling USD 138 billion between 2010 and 2015, and USD 496 billion between 2010 and 2020.
“These accumulations will attract and encourage investment in Iraq from home and abroad,” he said.
– NNN-KUNA
Latest by NAM NEWS NETWORK:
- VIOLENCE CONTINUES IN EGYPT ON FRIDAY
- INDONESIAN OIL PRODUCTION FALLS SHORT OF TARGET
- BRITAIN WARNS ARGENTINA ON CUTTING OF AIRLINKS BETWEEN FALKLANDS & LAT AM
- VIETNAM ELECTED TO UN COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
- NICARAGUA TO IMPROVE ON CHILD PROTECTION
