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STORY: UN / IRAQ
TRT: 2.19
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY
FILE – 2011, NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters
29 NOVEMBER 2012, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, Security Council
3. Cutaway, delegates
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kobler, Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI):
“Over the past few days, dozens of Iraqi security personnel and civilians including worshippers have been killed and many other dozens injured in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Kerbala and Falluja. Extremists use the political differences of the leaders to ignite either a sectarian or ethnic tensions in Iraq. Immediate resolution and compromise by all political leaders should be the response to these attempts.”
5. Cutaway, delegates
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kobler, Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI):
“The Syrian conflict has exposed a complex web of interconnected and conflicting interests that threatens to engulf the region in violent conflict. With no immediate solution to the crisis in sight, there are real risks of spill over violence and destabilisation. At the domestic level, the conflict across Iraq's border in Syria has had a significant humanitarian impact on Iraq. The crisis also impacts on Iraq's relations with her neighbours, Iraq's relationship with Turkey has also grown increasingly tense in recent months, with an escalation in the rhetoric exchanged on both sides.”
7. Cutaway, delegates
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kobler, Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI):
“During Iraq's busy electoral calendar ahead, the stakes will be high, not only for Iraq's political leaders competing for the electorate's support, but also for the consolidation of Iraq's transition. The elections must be conducted credibly.”
9. Cutaway, delegates
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Martin Kobler, Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI):
“So far, 123 people have been executed in Iraq this year, 53 of these since July. The latest executions were carried out on 11 November, when 11 convicts were executed, including one Egyptian. I continue to reiterate the Secretary-General's call in his report for the Government of Iraq to consider a moratorium on all executions, in accordance with relevant General Assembly resolutions.”
11. Cutaway, delegates
12. Wide shot, Security Council
Pointing to recent attacks in Baghdad, Kirkuk, Kerbala and Falluja, the UN envoy to Iraq, Martin Kobler today (29 November) said extremists were trying to exploit political differences between Iraq’s leaders to ignite sectarian and ethnic tensions.
Kobler, the United Nations (UN) Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), was briefing the Security Council in New York on the situation in Iraq.
Noting that Iraq found itself in an unstable regional environment caused by the conflict in neighbouring Syria, the envoy also said the Syrian conflict had exposed “a complex web of interconnected and conflicting interests that threatens to engulf the region in violent conflict”.
He cautioned the Council that with no immediate solution to the crisis for the moment, “there are real risks of spill over violence and destabilisation”. The Syrian conflict was having a “significant humanitarian impact” on Iraq, as well as affecting Iraq's relations with neighbouring countries, notably Turkey.
While commenting on the future electoral process in the country, Kobler said that “the stakes will be high, not only for Iraq's political leaders competing for the electorate's support, but also for the consolidation of Iraq's transition” and said “the elections must be conducted credibly”.
Kobler also noted that 123 people had been executed in Iraq so far this year, and reiterated the Secretary-General's call to consider a moratorium on all executions.
UNAMI and the UN country team are working to strengthen Iraq’s High Commission for Human Rights together with Ministry of Human Rights and civil society organizations who also monitor the implementation of the National Action Plan on Human Rights, a milestone document representing the government’s commitment to implementing recommendations by the Universal Periodic Review process under the auspices of the Human Rights Council.
