UN to appoint a special envoy for Iraq settlement

The United Nations Security Council Iraq resolution, pending adoption today, draws a line under the attempts to settle Iraq bypassing the United Nations Charter, Sergei Prikhodko, deputy head of the Kremlin administration, has said. To him, the resolution "lays the international-law basis for assorted efforts by a wide range of countries for returning Iraq to normal life as a responsible and full-fledged member of the international community." "The developments have confirmed that the solution of even such complex problems as post-conflict settlement in Iraq can still be attained on the basis of a collective effort within the limits of international law," said Prikhodko.

Thus, the adoption of the resolution will lead to the restoration of unity of the United Nations Security Council on one of the poignant international problems, he noted.

The United Nations will appoint a special envoy for Iraqi settlement, said the deputy head of the Kremlin administration.

"It is yet another basic element of the Russian position, which has been realized," said Prikhodko.

To him, the functions of the special envoy spread on not only matters of the economic rehabilitation of Iraq but also on the political aspects of its post-war development, including the formation of a new duly-elected government.

The UN special envoy will also have direct access to political forces in Iraq and countries in the Middle Eastern region.