Date/Location​: Wednesday February 13, 2012; 10:00 to 11:00; Security Council Chamber, United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY

Speakers​: Special Representative of the Secretary General to the mission in Iraq, Delegates from Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, Indonesia, China, South Africa, Cote D’ivoire, Iraq

Written by: WIT Representative Bertina Kudrin

The UNSC met to discuss the situation in Iraq. The meeting began with a briefing by the Special Representative of the Secretary General to the mission in Iraq.  She mentioned that among Iraq’s accomplishments Iraq, a new prime minister was nominated, the 2019 budget law was approved, allowing for funding for necessities like electricity, an implementation plan was adopted to allow for the inspection of progress, and 3 meetings between the supreme council and the president took place regarding fighting corruption. However, obstacles still persist. For one, the government is still incomplete. Four ministerial positions are still open, with fierce political disagreements surrounding these. Political parties have boycotted or otherwise interrupted political processes, with the Iraqi parliament on recess. Additionally, while the budget was passed, money is still needed for reconstruction. Too much of the budget is based on oil. Finally, security and terrorist groups still remain a concern.

Delegates then proceeded to expand on the representative’s points. Kuwait welcomed the national dialogue taking place in Iraq. It also noted the importance of a completed government to combat extremism and provide for rule of law. The concerns over terrorism were echoed by Indonesia, who suggested the strengthening of relationships with international and regional partners to address the concern. China’s suggestion was to strengthen counter-terrorism organizations and crack down on terrorist organizations listed by UNSC.

On the issue of the history of Kuwait and Iraq, Kuwait reminded delegates that the meeting marked the 28th anniversary of the liberation of the state of Kuwait from Iraqi aggression. Kuwait commended the serious desire of Iraq to meet its remaining obligations towards Kuwait, including help identifying remains and the search for Kuwaiti property. It spoke the sentiment shared by many: the Iraq of today has nothing to do with the Iraq of the past.