Concern over UN's wider Iraq role

By Matthew Wells
BBC News, New York

The UN office in Baghdad was destroyed in the 2003 bomb attack

For almost four years, the United Nations has kept itself at arms length from the turmoil of Iraqi politics - but next week, that could all change.

The death of a revered senior official - seen by many as a future secretary general - and 21 others, in a devastating attack on their Baghdad headquarters in 2003, led to almost total withdrawal.

Since then, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has consisted of just a few hundred staff, providing logistical support mainly for elections and monitoring human rights.

But following the relative success of a Security Council resolution on Darfur earlier in the week, British and American diplomats at the UN are confident they have the votes to empower a new "heavyweight" mission.

The only credible light for the Iraqi people is to see a timetable set up for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq Syria's ambassador to UN Bashar Jaafari

"It's straightforward," said Britain's outgoing UN ambassador Sir Emyr Jones Parry when asked about the new draft resolution, which would extend and widen the UN role.

Crucially, the Russian ambassador gave his approval to the draft on Thursday, indicating that the permanent member would not be resorting to the veto when it comes before the Security Council next week.

"It's overall a good draft. Some work of course, may be required," ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters. "But I don't see any basic problems," he added.

Haunting memories

One Western diplomat told the BBC that the Iraqi government itself had been fully consulted over the draft, and that no progress would be made without its full co-operation.

The staff union at UN HQ can resist a new wave of deployment

It is hoped that the newly extended mission would play a major role in healing sectarian rifts, settling boundary disputes, and planning a national census.

It's becoming clear that the sticking point may come much closer to home than Baghdad.

A UN spokesman said that concern over staff security was still paramount, and there was no guarantee that the mission would increase in size with an enhanced mandate.

No UN troops are included in the draft resolution, and the mission will be relying on mainly American and British soldiers for security.

Haunted by the memories of the 2003 truck bomb, the staff union here at UN headquarters has the power to resist a new wave of deployment, if they don't get the reassurances they need.

Positive diplomacy

Even if there is a clear majority on the 15-member Security Council already emerging, some member countries have concerns about how effective the UN can ever be while it has to rely on others for protection.

Syrian ambassador Bashar Jaafari told the BBC: "The only credible light for the Iraqi people is to see a timetable set up for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq."

Syria shares a border with Iraq and is home, for the time being, to around 1.5 million Iraqi refugees.

"Nobody is denying the crucial role of the UN in Iraq... but the main issue is how to create a proper environment [for its success]," added the ambassador.

After a week of apparently positive diplomacy - led by Western governments - in Africa and now in Iraq, a huge amount of detailed work and bridge-building, still remains to be done.