UN: The UN Security Council voted unanimously yesterday to extend the mandate of the nearly 180,000-strong multinational force in Iraq for a year, a move the US called a significant signal of international commitment to Iraq's political transition.
The resolution, co-sponsored by the US, Britain, Denmark, Japan and Romania, was adopted in response to a request from Iraqi prime minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari for the US-led force to remain in the country.
The current mandate authorising the presence of the force expires on December 31st following parliamentary elections in Iraq on December 15th - the end point of the political process as defined by the security council.
The resolution adopted yesterday extends the force's mandate until December 31st, 2006, with a review after eight months. Under its terms, the council will "terminate this mandate earlier if requested by the government of Iraq". The force currently comprises 157,000 American troops and 22,000 troops from other countries.
US ambassador John Bolton called the unanimous vote "a significant signal that the international community is committed to making the process in Iraq - as they attempt to create institutions of representative government - succeed."
Asked why the resolution was adopted nearly two months early, Mr Bolton said: "We wanted to get the mandate extended to show the solidarity of international support for the electoral process in Iraq and to avoid it becoming an issue in the upcoming election, and also to resolve it well before the December 31st expiration."
Britain's UN ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said security is "the underpinning" of the political development and economic prosperity needed to build peace in Iraq.
Adopting the resolution ahead of the December 15th elections eliminates any possible uncertainty about the continuation of the force since "everybody knows the Iraqis want the multinational force to continue", he added.
In a letter to the council on October 31st, Iraq's Mr al-Jaafari sought the year-long extension and said that, with the upcoming December 15th elections, his nation was nearing the end of a political transition that began with the toppling of Saddam Hussein by US-led forces in 2003.
"The Iraqi national security forces which are increasing in size, capability and experience day after day need more time to complete their training, ranks and equipment in order to take over the primary responsibility of providing adequate security for Iraqis," he wrote.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, in an October 29th letter to the council, said that since the US occupation of Iraq ended on June 28th, 2004, the multinational force and the Iraqi government developed a security partnership to address "Iraq's security environment, including the continuing need to prevent and deter acts of terrorism".
"This partnership plays a critical role in the daily efforts to improve security throughout Iraq," Dr Rice wrote, noting that "substantial progress" has been made to build and train Iraqi security forces and allow them to take on increasing responsibilities.
The Iraqi government and the multinational force are developing "a security plan to set forth the conditions necessary for transfer of security responsibility" for the international force to Iraq, Rice wrote.
"Conditions permitting, we look forward to notable progress in the next year," she added. - (AP)