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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: LindyBill who wrote (8894)	9/23/2003 7:06:34 AM
From: maceng2	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 793669

UN reviews presence in Iraq after second attack on HQ By Mark Turner at the United Nations and Nicolas Pelham and,Charles Clover in Baghdad Published: September 23 2003 5:00 \| Last Updated: September 23 2003 5:00 news.ft.com United Nations officials were yesterday holding emergency discussions to reassess the UN presence in Iraq after a second suicide bomb attack targeted its headquarters in the country. A bomber blew up a car loaded with explosives outside the UN's Baghdad offices, killing himself and a guard and wounding 19 Iraqis, including two local UN staffers. Antonia Paradela, UN spokeswoman in Baghdad, acknowledged that a "complete suspension of our humanitarian activities" in the country was not only an option, but one that was being discussed within the UN. According to UN officials, the bomb was detonated while the guard was searching the car. Security apparently prevented the attacker from reaching the main UN building, where 22 people were killed in a similar bomb attack last month. The bomb was detonated 250 metres away. The attack came as a delegation from Iraq's Governing Council arrived in New York to attend the UN General Assembly. The UN had already reduced its staff to the minimum after last month's explosion in which Sergio Viera de Mello, its special representative to the country, was among the casualties. Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, said the UN was "assessing the situation" and taking "further measures to protect our installations". At the same time, however, the UN is waiting to see the outcome of talks on a new resolution on Iraq's transition, in which France, Germany and others are pushing for the UN to manage the political process. Mr Annan said the UN "would obviously need to know what the new role will be for us to determine how we organise ourselves to tackle that" but "we need a secure environment to be able to operate". After last month's bomb attack, the UN took new security precautions and sent most non-essential staff to work outside Iraq. Fewer than 100 international staff remain in Iraq out of an original 300. The bomber in yesterday's attack has not been identified and no organisation claimed responsibility. What was purportedly a branch of al-Qaeda subsequently said it was behind the blast in August. The UN's security office in Iraq at the weekend quoted usually reliable sources as saying that groups of foreign fighters were entering via north-east Iraq, mainly through the mountainous areas of Halabjah. It said they were former fighters for the Taliban who had fled Afghanistan and clandestinely travelled through Iran. They were "hiding among the local inhabitants in the region of Ramadi, Falluja and in certain quarters of Baghdad". Previously Mr Annan has said that he could not send his staff into an untenable security situation in which they were unable to work. Meanwhile Mr Annan appointed a panel headed by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari to investigate the August bombing.