Iraq: UN envoy visits Jordan for talks with officials, UN staff

Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Acting Special Representative for Iraq visited Amman today for talks with government officials and UN staff in the Jordanian capital, which became a secondary hub for United Nations activities after last year's terrorist attack against the world body's headquarters in Baghdad.

In a meeting with Queen Rania, veteran relief official Ross Mountain expressed the UN's appreciation for all the assistance provided to UN staff members after the 19 August bombing that killed top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other people.

That attack prompted the Secretary-General to withdraw international staff from Iraq and set up a temporary main UN base for Iraqi operations in Nicosia, Cyprus, as well as a presence in Amman.