Statement by UK Political Coordinator Fergus Eckersley at the UN
Security Council meeting on Iraq.
"Thank you, Madam President, I would like to welcome the
representatives of Iraq and Kuwait to the chamber.
Let me start by thanking the Special Representative for her
briefing, and for the important work of the UN Assistance Mission
in Iraq. I would like to highlight three points of particular
importance for the UK.
First, we commend the progress being made by Iraq across the
breadth of political and economic issues set out by the Special
Representative. UNAMI’s contribution to that progress is deeply
valued by the United Kingdom. We look forward to discussing the
outcome of the Strategic Review being led by Volker Perthes and
the future shape and function of UNAMI, in discussion with
relevant parties, including of course the sovereign state of
Iraq.
Second, Iraq has the potential to play a strong stabilising role
in the region. To do so, it is critical that its territory not be
used by Iranian proxies to destabilise the region. We offer our
condolences to the families of those killed in Iran’s 15 January
strike on Erbil. We urge Iran to deescalate tensions in the
region. We reiterate our commitment to the Global Coalition
against Daesh, which operates within Iraq at the invitation of
the Iraqi government, as well as our commitment to a secure and
sovereign Iraq.
Third, we congratulate Iraq on holding its first provincial
elections for a decade. We look forward to the holding of
elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq without further delay
and encourage all relevant actors to take steps to ensure
necessary preparations are made to ensure they are free, fair and
timely. We hope a sustainable outcome on the transfer of budget
allocations from Baghdad to Erbil can be agreed and we encourage
relevant political parties to play a constructive role to support
that.
Finally, Madam President, we welcome the Special Representative’s
update on missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing
Kuwaiti property and reiterate the UK’s commitment to the work of
the Tripartite Commission. We urge further progress to resolve
this long-standing issue.
In closing, can I express the UK’s sincere thanks to
you, Special Representative, for your outstanding work in
Iraq since 2018 and we commend your powerful and hopeful words as
you depart about the future of a stable and prosperous Iraq.
I thank you."
