IRAQ: UN ENVOY HOLDS TALKS WITH PRESIDENT OF KURDISTAN REGION

IRAQ: UN ENVOY HOLDS TALKS WITH PRESIDENT OF KURDISTAN REGION
New York, May 23 2007 8:00AM
Key political concerns affecting the future of Iraq were discussed during talks between the senior United Nations envoy to the country and the President of the Kurdistan Region, the world body's mission to the country announced today.

During their meeting in Salah Al-Din, north of Erbil, the Secretary-General's Special Representative, Ashraf Qazi, and the President of Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani, discussed national reconciliation, constitution review, human rights, the needs of displaced Iraqis, as well as provision of humanitarian and public services in northern Iraq, among other issues, the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said.

Mr. Qazi expressed his satisfaction over his wide-ranging discussions with Mr. Barzani and other senior officials of Kurdistan Regional Government.

The envoy reiterated that the UN is committed to assisting Iraq in political reconciliation and physical reconstruction. He stressed that all of the United Nations activities throughout Iraq were at the request of the Iraqi Government and that consensus was a prerequisite for the UN to expand its programmes and technical support.

Mr. Qazi noted that the UN will continue to "make every effort possible to put all the resources available in order to assist the Iraqis in the reconstruction process and to push forward the political process within the legal and constitutional framework" as called for by the Security Council, UNAMI said.

In addition to Mr. Barzani, the envoy met with Deputy Prime Minister Omar Fattah, Speaker Adnan Al-Mufti, Deputy Speaker Kamal Kirkuki, Minister of Region for the Interior Karim Sinjari, President Barzani's Chief of Staff Fouad Hussein and Executive Chief of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Politburo Mulla Bukhtiar.

2007-05-23 00:00:00.000

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