United Nations, July 19: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan will highlight the need for a speedy return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people in a report he will present to the Security Council next week.
In the report, which was obtained yesterday,
Annan said: "I have kept at the forefront of my thinking the
interests of the Iraqi people, especially their demand for
the early restoration of Iraqi sovereignty."
"There is a pressing need to set out a clear and
specific sequence of events leading to the end of military
occupation," he added. "It is important that Iraqis are able
to see a clear timetable leading to the full restoration of
sovereignty."
The Secretary General noted that his special envoy to
Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello had raised UN concerns with the
US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), headed by the
US-appointed administrator Paul Bremer.
"The principal message" is that "democracy could not
be imposed from outside" and that it must originate inside
Iraq, Annan said in the 22-page report, which he will present
to the Council Tuesday.
He also said "A central concern raised is the current
human rights situation, particularly as affected by the
actions of the CPA," reminding the CPA of its duty to comply
with international laws governing human rights.
"Security remains a priority concern for all the
Iraqis with whom my special representative has spoken during
this initial period," Annan also noted in the report.
"Security, or the lack of it, affects every aspect of life in
iraq today in a fundamental way."
Bureau Report
