The United Nations Security Council postponed a mission to West Africa, scheduled to begin on Thursday, so ambassadors can be in New York for negotiations on a resolution dealing with postwar Iraq issues.
Council president Munir Akram of Pakistan said on Tuesday that some governments wanted their top envoys to remain at the United Nations for what are expected to be tough negotiations on the resolution co-sponsored by the United States (US), Britain and Spain.
The council is scheduled to hold closed consultations on Wednesday on the resolution which would lift sanctions against Iraq, legitimise the US-led coalition’s occupation of Iraq, and seek permission to use the revenue from the world’s second largest oil reserves to rebuild the war-battered country. The US is pressing for a quick vote.
Britain’s UN Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock was scheduled to lead the eight-day Security Council mission to Nigeria, Ghana,
Ivory Coast, Guinea, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone. The 14 other council nations were sending ambassadors, deputy
ambassadors or senior diplomats.
”The situation in West Africa certainly deserves attention ‒ and urgent attention — and that is why the mission was being sent,” Akram said.
”At the same time, I think the representatives on the mission also felt — at least some of them — that they were required by their governments to be here at this time.”
”It’s a question of determining governmental priorities… but I can tell you this is not an indication of any loss of priority for West Africa. The commitment is there. The mission will go very soon,” he said. -Sapa-AP