UN envoy discusses democratization with various Iraqi leaders

Democratization in Iraq was high on the agenda this weekend as the senior United Nations envoy to the country held talks with a number of key leaders.

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello, met on Saturday with Ayatollah Ali Mohammad al-Sistani, exchanging views "in a frank manner on the current situation in Iraq and how best to move forward to reaching the goal of transferring power to a representative Iraqi leadership," said UN spokesman Abdelhamid Abdeljaber.

"Mr. Sistani expressed his concern at the slow pace and many other issues derailing the process of permitting Iraqi responsible leaders to take charge of their affairs," the spokesman added.

The talks also covered the idea of writing a new constitution for Iraq.

Mr. de Mello held a subsequent meeting on Saturday with Imam Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Sadriun Movement, who emphasized that "any formation of any political entity was doomed to failure unless it is supported or endorsed by the Iraqi people themselves," Mr. Abdeljaber reported.

In addition, the Special Representative met with Imam Mohammad Baqir Al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, who stressed that there are many ways to foster a more representative Iraqi body. "He said that only Iraqi people can choose their representatives and any imposed leadership would fail and hurt those who will impose it," Mr. Abdeljaber said. For his part, the envoy promised to convey these views to the appropriate leaders.

In another development, on Monday Iraq is slated to begin a two-day workshop on the justice system and accountability for past human rights violations. This expert consultation, a first for Iraq, will focus on key issues in light of recently discovered mass graves in many parts of the country, according to Mona Rishmawi, the Special Representative's Special Advisor on Human Rights and Women's Issues.