IRAQ: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, concerned by spiralling violence in Iraq, urges country leaders to deal with the causes underlying the worst bloodshed in five years

Record ID: 564849

  • Title: IRAQ: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, concerned by spiralling violence in Iraq, urges country leaders to deal with the causes underlying the worst bloodshed in five years
  • Date: 13th January 2014
  • Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (JANUARY 13, 2014) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** IRAQI PRIME MINISTER NURI AL-MALIKI AND U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN KI-MOON ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "I am especially worried about deteriorating security in parts of Iraq." DELEGATION ACCOMPANYING U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON, SAYING: "I would urge the leaders of Iraq to address the root causes of the problems; what are the problems - their grievances or whatever. Also they should ensure that there is nobody left behind. There should be political cohesion, social cohesion and political dialogue, inclusive dialogue." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL BAN -KI-MOON, SAYING: "I understand there is a serious opportunity to reach agreement on several constitutional issues, including revenue sharing and security arrangements. I hope leaders will seize this opportunity. There is no alternative to a united, federal and democratic Iraq." MALIKI AND BAN KI-MOON SHAKING HANDS
  • Embargoed: 28th January 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Iraq
  • Country: Iraq
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVADK1H9GPZVUFTVAQHQ7SN9AGAM
  • Story Text: U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday (January 13) he was concerned about spiralling violence in Iraq and urged its leaders to deal with the causes underlying the worst bloodshed in five years.
    Sunni Islamist insurgents linked to al Qaeda have intensified a campaign of violence that drove the death toll for 2013 to nearly 9,000, the highest level since 2008.

    "I am especially worried about deteriorating security in parts of Iraq," Ban said during a visit to Baghdad, condemning "senseless" attacks on civilians.
    On Jan. 1, militants overran the cities of Falluja and Ramadi in Anbar province in a bold challenge to Iraq's Shi'ite-led government, alarming the United States, whose troops fought fierce battles with insurgents in Falluja in 2004.
    Officials in Baghdad trace renewed militancy in Iraq to the civil war in neighbouring Syria, where al Qaeda-affiliated groups have emerged as a powerful force among rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
    However, critics of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki say his government bears much of the blame for exacerbating sectarian tensions by alienating Iraq's once-dominant Sunni minority.
    The crisis in Anbar began when Iraqi security forces broke up an anti-government Sunni protest camp near Ramadi and carried out a bloody raid to arrest an outspoken Sunni lawmaker there.

    "I would urge the leaders of Iraq to address the root causes of the problems," Ban said.

    "They should ensure that there is nobody left behind. There should be political cohesion, social cohesion and political dialogue, inclusive dialogue," he added.
    In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, Maliki ruled out a military assault on Falluja, which is still held by gunmen, saying he wanted to avoid more carnage and give Sunni tribesmen time to expel the militants themselves.
    Ban welcomed "reinvigorated" dialogue between Baghdad and Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, which are at odds over how to exploit vast national oil resources and share the proceeds.

    "I understand there is a serious opportunity to reach agreement on several constitutional issues, including revenue sharing and security arrangements," Ban said.

    "I hope leaders will seize this opportunity. There is no alternative to a united, federal and democratic Iraq," he added.
    Kurdistan has started to pump oil independently through a new pipeline to Turkey in defiance of Baghdad, which claims sole authority to manage exports of all Iraqi crude and has threatened to retaliate by cutting funding to the region.
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