ISTANBUL, 16 June 2004 — The new Iraqi interim government received a key boost yesterday when the country’s neighbors endorsed the US-backed administration, a move that could help stem an increasingly violent insurgency.
Hours later, the political committee of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world’s largest Islamic organization, unanimously approved a resolution backing Iraq’s interim government and calling for help in rebuilding the war-shattered nation, a delegate who attended the discussions said.
The resolution is expected to be formally declared at the closing of the three-day foreign ministers’ meeting today, the delegate added, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The decision by bordering states and the OIC support are certain to distance the interim Iraqi government from its predecessor, which was branded a US creation. That is crucial as the interim government faces Iraqi fighters who have been battling US forces and the US-backed Governing Council that took power after Saddam Hussein’s ouster last year.
An interim government in Baghdad — put together by US, UN and Iraqi officials last month — is trying to establish its own legitimacy as it takes sovereignty June 30. Additional international support would be a boon for the incoming administration and the United States.
The insurgency has turned increasingly violent in recent months as the date for the transfer of sovereignty approaches.
The meeting of Iraq’s neighbors plus Egypt came on the sidelines of the OIC meeting. Iraq’s neighbors and Egypt welcomed the planned transfer of sovereignty and wished the new administration success.
A statement issued after the meeting said the neighbors also stressed support for Iraqis “in their progress on the path toward building fully legitimate and representative national institutions.”
Foreign ministers and representatives from Iraq and its neighbors — Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria — plus Egypt as well as UN Iraq envoy Lakhdar Brahimi attended the meeting.
The statement welcomed last week’s UN resolution on Iraq, which endorsed the transfer of sovereignty from the US-led occupation authority and authorized a multinational force.
The statement also stressed the need for the United Nations to play a “central role” in assisting Iraqis in preparing for elections and rebuilding their institutions. It also said that foreign forces in Iraq should “remain strictly” under the UN mandate and called on foreign forces to abide by international law.
