[Mb-civic] NYTimes.com Article: The U.N. Plays Catch-Up in Iraq

[michael at intrafi.com]

The article below from NYTimes.com 
has been sent to you by michael at intrafi.com.



/--------- E-mail Sponsored by Fox Searchlight ------------\

THE CLEARING - NOW PLAYING IN SELECT CITIES

THE CLEARING stars ROBERT REDFORD and HELEN MIRREN as Wayne
and Eileen Hayes - a husband and wife living the American
Dream. Together they've raised two children and struggled to
build a successful business from the ground up. When Wayne
is kidnapped by Arnold Mack (WILLEM DAFOE), and held for
ransom in a remote forest, the couple's world is turned
inside out.

Buy tickets now at:
http://movies.channel.aol.com/movie/main.adp?mid=17891

\----------------------------------------------------------/


The U.N. Plays Catch-Up in Iraq

July 20, 2004
 


 

It is already quite late in the game, but the United
Nations has finally appointed a full-time representative to
Iraq. Last week, Secretary General Kofi Annan named Ashraf
Jehangir Qazi, a Pakistani career diplomat, to a post that
has been vacant since suicide bombers blew up the U.N.'s
headquarters in Baghdad last August, killing the last
representative, Sergio Vieira de Mello. The U.N.'s long
marginalization has been costly. With Iraq's transition to
elected government now at a crucial stage, it is imperative
that Mr. Qazi gets off to a strong, independent start. 

He will have trouble doing so until the U.N. Mission is
protected by its own special security force. Incredibly,
six weeks after the Security Council agreed to this special
force, not a single country has provided the soldiers or
the paramilitary police officers who are needed to make it
operational. Until they do, Mr. Qazi and his team will have
to depend on American troops for protection, which
immediately puts another burden on the envoy as he tries to
establish credibility with Iraqis. 

For months, European countries like France, Germany and
Russia have vocally opposed the American occupation and
pushed for a strong, independent U.N. role. But they have
inexplicably failed to provide the troops and bodyguards
needed for this special force, which will initially require
fewer than 1,000 heavily armed soldiers and 60 or more
lightly armed bodyguards. 

Mr. Qazi's main responsibilities are to help the formation
of a national conference this summer that is meant to
create a broader base for the transition than the present
interim government provides, to aid in the planning of
January's elections and to assist in drawing up an
inclusive new constitution next year. The degree of success
that he achieves will go far to determine whether a stable
and relatively democratic government can emerge from the
current violent unrest and appointed governing bodies. The
national conference, which is supposed to take place this
month, is already running late. The appointees of the
present government who are charged with forming it urgently
need the kind of help and legitimacy the U.N. can provide. 

Mr. Qazi is planning to arrive in early August after
wrapping up his current assignment as Pakistan's ambassador
to Washington. Although he has not faced a challenge quite
like this before and has no previous experience of Iraq, he
is a respected and capable diplomat. He will not only have
to make up for lost time but will also have to overcome
Iraqi misgivings about the U.N. and doubts about its
independence. In Iraqi eyes, the organization is associated
with 13 years of sanctions, with allegations of large-scale
corruption in the oil-for-food program and with letting
itself get shoved aside by Washington and its favored
exiles in the selection of the current interim government. 

The first and most important thing Mr. Qazi can do is
establish his independence and authority. European
governments can make this a lot easier by quickly giving
him his own security force. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/20/opinion/20tue1.html?ex=1091339799&ei=1&en=36f3667eb93acb1c


---------------------------------

Get Home Delivery of The New York Times Newspaper. Imagine
reading The New York Times any time & anywhere you like!
Leisurely catch up on events & expand your horizons. Enjoy
now for 50% off Home Delivery! Click here:

http://homedelivery.nytimes.com/HDS/SubscriptionT1.do?mode=SubscriptionT1&ExternalMediaCode=W24AF



HOW TO ADVERTISE
---------------------------------
For information on advertising in e-mail newsletters 
or other creative advertising opportunities with The 
New York Times on the Web, please contact
onlinesales at nytimes.com or visit our online media 
kit at http://www.nytimes.com/adinfo

For general information about NYTimes.com, write to 
help at nytimes.com.  

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company