UNITED NATIONS (AFP)
Iraq will lead its own future after the United Nations closes its mission there at year's end, the UN envoy to the Middle Eastern country said Tuesday.
The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) will be shutting down its operations after 22 years since the 2003 US-led invasion and occupation and ouster of Saddam Hussein.
UNAMI's departure "represents the start of a new chapter rooted in Iraq's leadership of its own future," Mohamed Al Hassan, the head of the mission, told the UN Security Council during a meeting devoted to the situation in Iraq.
He assured the council that the international community was witnessing "an honorable and dignified closure of a UN mission."
With the international community's support, “Iraq came out victorious, but with untold sacrifices,” Al Hassan said.
Last year, the mission established in 2003 was extended one last time until December 31, 2025.
Baghdad said the closing of the UN mission marked “the completion of the political building process initiated in 2003 after the fall of the dictatorial regime.”
UNAMI's tasks included advising the government on political dialogue and reconciliation, as well as helping with elections and security sector reform.
On Tuesday, Al Hassan addressed the council after Iraq held its parliamentary election in November.
The envoy expressed the hope that a new Iraqi government would be formed without delay.
“Iraq has overcome successful conflicts on a hard-won path to stability,” he said.
"Nevertheless, the lasting effects of conflict have given rise to dire and persisting humanitarian needs, with about 1 million Iraqis remaining internally displaced."