UN envoy (AP) – IraqThe UN envoy to Iraq warned on Tuesday that his government is focused on avoiding a domestic or regional escalation of the Israel-Hamas war, but that continued attacks on the country are threatening its hard-won stability.
With the ongoing war in Gaza, Jeanine Haines-Plaschart told the UN Security Council that “the Middle East is at a critical juncture” and “the same goes for Iraq.”
Attacks from within and without Iraq Not only the stability of the country but “other achievements made in the last 18 months”, he said, adding that “messaging through strikes only recklessly escalates tensions, kills or injures people and destroys property.” works. UN envoy
He pointed to a Jan. 28 drone strike on a Jordanian facility hosting U.S. forces fighting Islamic State militants that killed three U.S. service members and wounded several others — and Iraq and Syria. I pointed to the US response with 85 airstrikes against Iranian-backed positions. Militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps claimed on February 2 in both Iraq and Syria that civilians were killed and wounded, and property was destroyed.
The UN envoy for Iraq has warned that violence inside the country and external attacks threaten the stability of fragile countries. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Hennis-Plasschaert said many Iraqis were also shocked by an Iranian missile attack in mid-January on the northern city of Erbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, which killed civilians and “these great efforts.” There was disagreement. The Iraq-Iran Security Agreement.”
“Instead of a show of force, the focus of all efforts should be to prevent Iraq from ever sliding into a wider conflict,” he said.
The UN envoy called for restraint from Iraq’s armed groups, its neighbors and other countries, saying it was “critical” to the country’s stability and development.
“With Iraq UN envoy Wrapped in an already complex tapestry of challenges, it is of the utmost importance that all attacks cease,” said Hennis-Plasschaert, who announced that after five years as the UN Special Representative in Baghdad After her stay, she will leave at the end of May.
Russia convened a council meeting on Monday over US airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, UN envoy and its deputy ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky, said that despite security gains made by Baghdad, “the situation on the ground remains critical.”
He again accused the US of using Iraq to “advance its partisan internal agendas to settle geopolitical scores” in the wake of its failed Middle East settlement policy and the current presidential campaign. Trying to convert to a phase.”
US Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood responded that Iran-linked militia groups “threatened to undermine Iraq’s hard-fought gains” since the defeat of Islamic State militants seven years ago.
“Since October 2023, these groups have carried out more than 165 attacks against US and coalition forces in Iraq, Syria and Jordan,” he said, causing casualties and injuries, including to Iraqi forces.
Wood said the U.S. is awaiting recommendations from an independent review of how the U.N. political mission, known as UNAMI, is “building a sustainable future for its citizens in Iraq and its political transition and ever-changing security.” can further assist in adaptation projects.”
Iraq’s UN ambassador, Abbas al-Fatlawi, told the council that his country was trying to regain the country’s “vital role” in the region and the world, outlining steps it would take at the international and domestic levels. Picking up.
He condemned “US, Turkish and Iranian aggression against Iraqi territory” that violates its sovereignty, and warned of the threat of a war between Israel and Hamas and its continuation.
Al Fatlawi said Iraq and the United States are holding the first round of talks on the future presence of U.S. and coalition forces fighting the remaining Islamic State fighters, and discussing a timeline for their withdrawal. is “in a manner that will guarantee a smooth transition.”