U.N.To Send Election Assessment Team to Iraq

(Secretary General Annan says U.N. "can play a constructive role") (460)

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan said that security permitting, the United Nations will send a technical mission to Iraq to determine the feasibility of holding national elections before June 30.

In a January 27 statement released in Paris, Annan said that after analyzing the situation in Iraq and studying relevant documents, "I have concluded that the United Nations can play a constructive role in helping to break the current impasse."

"The mission will ascertain the views of a broad spectrum of Iraqi society in the search for alternatives that might be developed to move forward to the formation of a provisional government. The mission will report to me on its return to New York," he said.

He added that the best guarantee of a legitimate and credible transitional government is a "consensus amongst all Iraqi constituencies."

The United Nations withdrew from Iraq in August 2003, after a suicide bomb attack on U.N. headquarters in Baghdad left 22 dead including U.N. special envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.

According to the November 15 agreement between the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council, sovereignty in Iraq will be transferred to an Iraqi transitional government on June 30.

Following is the text of Annan's statement:

(begin text)

UNITED NATIONS
NATIONS UNIES

STATEMENT ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SECRETARY- GENERAL

At our meeting on 19 January, both the Iraqi Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority asked me to send a technical mission to Iraq to establish whether elections for a transitional national assembly can be held before the transfer of sovereignty on 30 June, and if not, what alternative arrangement would be acceptable.

Since then we have been analyzing the situation and studying the relevant documents. I have concluded that the United Nations can play a constructive role in helping to break the current impasse. Therefore, once I am satisfied that the CPA will provide adequate security arrangements, I will send a mission to Iraq in response to the requests that I received.

The mission will ascertain the views of a broad spectrum of Iraqi society in the search for alternatives that might be developed to move forward to the formation of a provisional government. The mission will report to me on its return to New York.

I have already made clear that in my view there is no single "right way". I strongly hold to the idea that the most sustainable way forward would be one that came from the Iraqis themselves. Consensus amongst all Iraqi constituencies would be the best guarantee of a legitimate and credible transitional governance arrangement for Iraq.

Paris, 27 January 2004