The mandate and selection of the Independent High Electoral Commission within the next year would also benefit from consensus, he continued, noting that the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) stood ready to advise the Council of Representatives on the procedure for consolidating independence and the standards for organizing elections. The Mission continued to facilitate dialogue within the Standing Consultative Mechanism, and had hosted all representatives elected in Kirkuk as part of ongoing consultations on the conditions that would allow delayed Provincial Council elections to take place in the near future.
Regarding Kuwait, he hailed the decision to form a joint ministerial committee aimed at finding viable solutions to outstanding bilateral concerns, while reminding Iraq of its need to show “tangible and expeditious” progress in implementing its Chapter VII obligations pertaining to that country.
On the human rights front, he said several initiatives had been launched at the national and regional levels, including a conference at the Council of Representatives from 5 to 7 June, during which more than 100 recommendations had been incorporated into the draft national action plan on human rights. It covered women’s and children’s rights, minorities, rule of law, freedom of expression, internally displaced persons and refugees. “From the international perspective, there is every reason for strongly welcoming the return of Iraq as a full and respected member of the international community”, he said.
He went on to underline that what went well in Iraq would be of “tremendous” benefit to the region, especially in reducing the space for extremism. The converse was also true — sustained international engagement would help the country tap into the vast potential of a more diversified and integrated economy, and social progress would ultimately define the region’s future, he said, urging countries in the region to step up their engagement with a view to resolving differences and identifying areas of cooperation in the political, security and development fields.
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