UN Chief vows to continue supporting Iraq

BAGHDAD, Dec 13 (KUNA) -- The visiting United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday affirmed that the international organization would continue to support Iraq to ensure its stability and prosperity.
Guterres, currently on an official visit to the country to attend the formal announcement marking the end of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), said the UN backing for the nation would persist after conclusion of the UNAMI mission.
The UN chief was speaking at an impromptu news conference, along with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Sudani, after arriving in the country.
UNAMI had humbly and resolutely worked for 22 years to assist the Iraqis in the reconstruction after decades of suppression, wars and instability, Guterres said. It was helpful in holding comprehensive political dialogue, conciliation among a lot of segments of the Iraqi society to support legal and judicial reforms, boost human and civil rights, Guterres added.
He recalled the tragic terror attack that targeted UNAMI's office at Canal Hotel in Baghdad in 2003, where 22 UN staff members, including the UN Secretary General Special Envoy Sergio De Mello, died and more than 100 people were wounded.
He has affirmed that this date, August 19, has become the World Humanitarian Day, honoring humanitarian action throughout the world.
Guterres said that after the UNAMI offices' closure, some UN agencies would continue to operate in the country.
For his part, Al-Sudani said the end of UNAMI's mission would signal a new chapter of cooperation between Iraq and the UN particularly in spheres of development, consultation and the economy.
He declared the naming of a Baghdad street after the UN and erecting a statue in admiration of the organization's role in the country. (pickup previous) ahh.rk