On unannounced visit, Ban stresses continued UN resolve to help Iraq
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today stressed the commitment of the United Nations to continue helping the people of Iraq, as he made a previously unannounced visit to Baghdad, nearly one week after the country held successful – and peaceful – provincial elections.
“I came to Iraq today in order to congratulate the Iraqi people and the Iraqi Government after last Saturday''s provincial elections, and to show the support of the international community during this momentous time,” Mr. Ban told a joint news conference with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Secretary-General said the elections mark an important event, these being the first polls to affect the day-to-day lives of Iraqi voters. There was a 51 per cent turnout rate for the polls, in which some 14,467 candidates vied for posts in 6,471 polling centres across the country.
“I was truly delighted that millions of Iraqi people exercised their right to vote in an environment free of violence, a remarkable achievement in a country that has known so much conflict in recent years,” he stated.
“Iraq has come a long way in taking their own affairs in hand, this being the first Iraqi-led and Iraqi-owned electoral process. It is a tribute to the growing effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces, and testifies to the increasing stability in the country,” Mr. Ban told reporters.
The success of the Election Day augurs well for the transition process and the solidifying of Iraq''s national reconciliation, he added, pledging that the UN will spare no efforts to meet the expectations of the Iraqi people in this next crucial phase.
He urged Iraqis to embrace this opportunity by rising above narrow sectarian interests, reducing lingering tensions, remaining open to compromise solutions and fostering consensus. “Greater willingness for national reconciliation should be demonstrated at all levels and both between and among all major communities,” he said.
Mr. Ban also congratulated his Special Representative Staffan de Mistura and staff at the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) who, with its team of international electoral experts, supported the country''s Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) in conducting the polls.
In addition to meeting with Mr. al-Maliki, the Secretary-General also held talks with President Jalal Talabani, the country''s two Vice Presidents – Adil Abd al-Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashemi – and UN staff.
The UN chief''s short stop in Baghdad capped off two weeks of travel through Europe, Africa and Asia, including a brief unannounced visit to Afghanistan.