United Nations, Jan 15: US ambassador John Negroponte today welcomed signs that the UN may be contemplating a return to Iraq, but cautioned that a meeting of key players next week may not produce a decision on a possible new UN role in the country. Secretary-general Kofi Annan invited representatives of the Iraqi governing council and the US-led coalition to a meeting Monday to try to pin down exactly what they want the United Nations to do as Iraq moves from U.S. occupation to a democratically elected government. Security council members also want to talk to the Iraqis, and the council decided today to invite the governing council`s president, Adnan Pachachi, to a private meeting late Monday which the secretary-general will also attend. “It would be nice to share his assessment of how things are going in Iraq, how they are viewing the political process, what role they perceive the UN can play, and what role the security council can play in the future of Iraq,`` said Heraldo Munoz, Chile`s UN ambassador and the current council president. Munoz said the council had not discussed whether a coalition representative would attend the Monday afternoon meeting, and Negroponte said no decision had been made on who would lead the US delegation. He reiterated that the coalition ``would be appropriately represented.``
The US has been pressing for the return of UN international staff to support the coalition`s plan to transfer power to a provisional Iraqi government by June 30.
Bureau Report