UN envoy for Iraq discusses political process with Prime Minister

The senior United Nations envoy for Iraq met today in Baghdad with interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi to discuss the latest developments in the country, a UN spokesman said today.

Since his return last month to Baghdad, Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, has been meeting with a number of Iraqi officials and various representatives of civil society to explore how the UN can help advance the political process, Fred Eckhard told reporters in New York.

Asked to comment on the abduction of three relatives of Prime Minister Allawi, Mr. Eckhard said the Secretary-General was "appalled" by the kidnapping. "It's another element of a lawless situation in Iraq that he hopes can be corrected over time."

The spokesman also announced that Mr. Annan will attend the International Conference on Iraq, which is due to be held on 22 November in Egypt.

During an official trip to Africa, the Secretary-General is also scheduled to take part in a meeting in Arusha, Tanzania, of the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In addition, he will participate in the Security Council's meeting on Sudan which will be held from 18 to 19 November in Nairobi.

Other meetings on the Secretary-General's agenda include the International Conference on the Great Lakes region and the Summit of the Organization of the Francophonie.