Annan names acting Special Representative for Iraq

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today named veteran relief coordinator Ross Mountain as his acting Special Representative for Iraq to replace Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was among those killed in the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in August.

At UN Headquarters in Geneva, he told reporters that Mr. Mountain would visit the country, as needed, from the temporary main UN base for Iraqi operations in Nicosia, Cyprus, “with a presence also in Amman,” Jordan, until security improves.

In his latest report to the UN Security Council on Iraq, released today, Mr. Annan says very real progress has been made in the past few months in advancing basic human rights, but he adds, “At the same time, the dangers posed by insurgents, whose attacks have been growing in sophistication and strength over the past months, are real.“

Mr. Mountain first joined the UN in 1973 and, after serving in a variety of positions, was appointed Assistant Emergency Relief Coordinator and director of the Geneva office of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in August 1998. He headed the OCHA Crisis Task Team for Iraq and last visited Iraq in July.

“I have worked in the Middle East before and it will be a return to dealing with obviously an extremely acute issue,” Mr. Mountain told the news conference. “The United Nations did not leave and has not left Iraq.” The UN would continue to focus on humanitarian aid and reconstruction pending further decisions by Mr. Annan and the Security Council, he said.

The UN’s local staff continued the organization’s work after international staff members were pulled out following the bombing.

Mr. Annan has said he will name a permanent Special Representative for Iraq next year.

He was asked whether he had a timetable for returning international UN staff to Iraq.

“No, I cannot have a timetable,” he said. “It depends on the security situation. We need a secure environment to operate in and, of course, security is not just necessary for the United Nations staff, it’s necessary for reconstruction, it’s necessary for ordinary Iraqis and it’s necessary for the UN and the humanitarian workers.

“As you all know, we had a great tragedy in Iraq last August and we need to be prudent. But as soon as the security situation permits, we will be back.”

He was asked about a directive by US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz excluding French, German and Russian companies for competing for $18.6 billion in contracts for Iraqi reconstruction.

Mentioning the advisory panel of representatives from the Middle East and the Security Council that he recently convened to work on Iraq, Mr. Annan said: “I have been doing what I can to unify the nations.

“I hope we will all take steps that are unifying, that bring us together to tackle this important issue in Iraq because no one is interested in a chaotic Iraq in the middle of that region. Stability of Iraq is everyone’s business and we should pool our efforts and avoid steps and decisions that are divisive.”