Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has hosted a meeting with the Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Iraq, Martin Kobler.

During the meeting, they discussed the role of the UN Mission in the provincial elections that took place recently, and its implications for political developments.

Kobler briefed the Minister on the results of his meetings with a number of parties of the political process and the country’s need for a mechanism to launch a national dialogue to address pending issues.

They also discussed the development of Iraqi – Kuwaiti relations especially the technical measures for demarcation of the borders.

For his part, the Minister stressed the importance of the UN role to exit Iraq from the remaining provisions of Chapter VII.

The meeting was attended by Undersecretary for Administrative Affairs, Adviser of the Minister, and Head of the Organizations Department.

(Source: MoFA)

By John Lee.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler (pictured), has visited Basra where he met with the Governor, Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad, and with the Director of the Basra office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Mr. Hazim Joda. He also paid a visit to the Black Iraqi community and met with one of its representatives, Mr. Jalal Thiyab Thijeel.

“I had excellent discussions with the Governor over the UN’s ongoing role in the development of the province, the ongoing regional efforts to combat sandstorms, and progress made on Chapter VII,” Mr. Kobler said.

Following his meeting with IHEC officials, the UN envoy said that “with election day around the corner, the Iraqi people place their hopes on transparent, free and fair elections”, adding that “there is no democracy without elections”.

(Source: UNAMI)

By John Lee.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has met with Mr. Martin Kobler, Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UNAMI) in Iraq.

During the meeting they discussed the mandate of the UN Mission in Iraq and its role in helping Iraq, and the role of the Mission to assist in the upcoming electoral processes. They also discussed the developments in the political situation and the country’s need for a mechanism to launch national dialogue to address the crisis.

They also discussed the ongoing deliberations in the Security Council on ending the mandate of the Special Coordinator on the missing Kuwaitis and property, Iraq’s international obligations and the developments in Iraq-Kuwait relations, especially after the approval of the Kuwaiti parliament recently on the Regulation of navigation and joint management in the Khawr Abdallah.

The meeting was attended by Undersecretary for Policy Planning and bilateral relations, adviser to the Minister, Chairman of the Department of organizations.

(Source: MOFA)

By John Lee.

Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari has met with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Ni Jian.

The two sides discussed the developing relations between the countries and ways of enhancing them . The Minister conveyed a letter from the Iraqi government to the Chinese Ambassador about the ongoing deliberations at the Security Council on ending mandate of the International Coordinator for missing Kuwaitis and prisoners, and requested the understanding and cooperation of China to get Iraq out of the provisions of Chapter VII.

The meeting was attended by Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Bilateral Relations, Head of Asia Department and the Minister’s Office Director.

(Source: MOFA)

By John Lee.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, met with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Robert Beecroft, at the Ministry’s HQ on Tuesday.

They discussed the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA) and the debates at the UN Security Council to terminate the mandate of the Special Coordinator for missing Kuwaiti people and properties, and to remove Iraq from the Chapter VII provisions.

They also discussed the current political developments in Iraq, and the situation in the Arab region in general.

Also present at the meeting were the Ministry’s Undersecretary for Policy Planning and Bilateral relations, Head of the America Department, and the Minister’s Office Manager.

(Source: MOFA)

By John Lee.

His Excellency Prime Minister Nouri Kamil Al-Maliki met in his office, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister praised the role of the United Nations, for supporting Iraq in various conditions and on the cooperation between the two sides. He also praised the efforts of Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon in this area, especially his efforts to exit Iraq from Chapter VII.

With regards to the situation in the Arab region, the Prime Minister said while we welcome the efforts of the peoples in the Arab countries to achieve their freedom and their legitimate goals, we are worried about the current events in Egypt and Tunisia because what happens in any Arab country affects other countries as they are all interconnected, he also expressed concerns about the continued suffering of the Syrian people, hoping that they soon will overcome these crises .

The Prime Minister called on the United Nations to take a more serious stance in support of the Palestinians’ right to establish their own state.

On the relationship with the State of Kuwait, the Prime Minister expressed optimism about resolving the remaining issues through the cooperation of the two countries, and considered that the United Nations has an influential role in this regard.

For his part, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-moon praised the progress made by Iraq, and said “each time I visit Iraq I see more positive development” , he said this year had been very important for Iraq as it witnessed the evacuation of all foreign troops and the regaining of full sovereignty. The Secretary-General of the United Nations also praised Iraq’s success in hosting the Arab Summit and the P5+1 Conference, he also thanked the Iraqi government for disallowing transporting arms to Syria.

Mr. Ban Ki-moon explained the International Organization’s vision for Iraq, emphasizing that the only option for all Iraqis is the peaceful coexistence in a unified Iraq.

At the conclusion of the talks that were held today, His Excellency the Prime Minister and the Secretary-General of the United Nations held a joint press conference.

(Source: Office of Prime Minister)

By John Lee.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr. Martin Kobler, has concluded a two-day visit to Basra, where he met with the Governor, Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad, and with the Director of the Basra office of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), Mr. Hazim Joda.

“This has been a very fruitful visit,” Mr. Kobler said. “I had excellent discussions with the Governor over the UN’s ongoing role in the development of the province, and progress made on Chapter VII. I shared with the Governor that the UN has some ideas on reinvesting part of the compensation money in projects in Iraq,” the SRSG said.

During his visit to the Basra office of IHEC, Mr. Kobler was informed that preparations for the 2013 Governorate Council elections are on track.

Mr. Kobler visited Basra Children’s Hospital as well as a UNICEF accelerated learning programme for juvenile detainees at Basra Central Prison, the first school of its kind in Iraq, which is delivering education and training to help young prisoners adjust to life after their release.

Following his visit to an NGO in Zubayr that works for the rights of black Iraqis, the SRSG reaffirmed that, “UNAMI will continue to advocate for the political participation and right to development for Iraqis from all backgrounds.”

(Source: UN)

By John Lee.

Presidents Maliki and Putin have issued the following statement after their meeting in Moskow:

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN: Mr Prime Minister, ladies and gentlemen,

Our meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mr Nouri al-Maliki, was substantive and constructive.

Some significant changes have have been taking place in Iraq since Mr Maliki’s last visit to Moscow in April 2009 – changes for the better. Iraq’s leadership is doing much for complete national reconciliation and accord, socioeconomic problems resolution and restoring country’s positions in the region and on the international arena.

We sincerely wish our Iraqi friends success in rebuilding and strengthening their state and see the augmentation of our bilateral trade and economic relations and the deepening of our political dialogue as Russia’s input into the advancement of Iraq toward re-establishing its peaceful living.

During today’s detailed talks, we touched on nearly all the issues in our relations. We noted that, regrettably, we are still quite far from the trade level that had been achieved in 2003. At the same time, the growth rates in our relations are a cause for optimism. With every year, more and more Russian companies are participating in Iraq’s economic life.

We are grateful to the Iraqi side for resolving an issue that is highly important to us: ensuring security for our experts in Iraq.

We are seeing the renewel of our military and technical cooperation as well. Iraqi experts are familiar with our weapons, which have a good reputation, and I am certain that we will reach a mutual understanding in this important field, which certainly increases our trade and economic turnover and heightens the trust between our two states.