The UN Security Council extended on Tuesday the mandate of
US-led foreign forces in Iraq for one year.
In a resolution adopted unanimously by council members, the
council extended the mandate of the 160,000-strong multinational
force (MNF) by the end of 2008 at the request of the Iraqi
government.
It also noted that the mandate of the MNF shall be reviewed at
the request of the Iraqi government or no later than June 15, 2008,
and can be terminated earlier if desired by the Iraqi
government.
In his letter to the council asking for a mandate extension,
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki noted that the MNF had "made an
important and significant contribution to efforts to establish
security and the rule of law" in the violence-wracked nation, and
had helped strengthen the capacity of the national army and
security forces.
He said that Iraqi forces have now taken over the MNF's security
functions in eight provinces and that he expected that this would
be the last time the government would be asking the council for a
mandate renewal of the MNF.
"It is our intention that our national forces will continue to
take over those security functions until all 18 provinces are under
the full security control of our troops in 2008," he wrote.
In a separate letter to the council, U.S. Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice pledged that the MNF was ready to perform the
tasks required of it and also committed to acting consistently with
their obligations and rights under international law, including the
law of armed conflict.
"In the coming year, the MNF is ready to continue to participate
in the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq, within the
context of the growth in the capabilities of the Iraqi Security
Forces and Iraq's successes in security, politics, and the
economy," she said.
(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2007)
