UNITED NATIONS, 9 November 2005 — The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted a one-year extension of the mandate of the US-led forces in Iraq. The council voted 15-0 “to extend the mandate of the multinational force, as set forth in Resolution 1546 (in 2004), until December 2006.”
“The unanimous adoption of this resolution is a vivid demonstration of broad international support for a federal, democratic, pluralistic and unified Iraq,” US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton said after the vote.
In a concession to French and Russian objections, Washington had agreed that the council would review the mandate on June 15 of next year.
The resolution, sponsored by the United States, Britain, Japan, Romania and Denmark, said the mandate of the force “shall be reviewed at the request of the government of Iraq, or no later than June 15, 2006, and declares that it will terminate this mandate earlier if requested by the government of Iraq.”
It also decided to extend until Dec. 31, 2006 arrangements for depositing into the Development Fund for Iraq proceeds from export sales of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas. It said provisions for depositing those proceeds shall be reviewed at the request of the Iraqi government, or no later than June 15, 2006.
“Addressing these issues now will facilitate continued international support for Iraq’s security and will give the newly elected Iraqi government time to assume office, address constitutional questions and consolidate its authority before confronting issues such as those addressed in this resolution,” Bolton said.
Washington hopes the extension will encourage US coalition partners to remain in Iraq and avoid a potentially tough battle in the Security Council on the mandate issue next year after the Iraqi government takes power.
The extension of the force’s mandate followed an announcement Monday by the US Defense Department of a rotation of forces that calls for the deployment of 92,000 troops in Iraq from mid-2006 to mid-2008.
They will replace a US force in Iraq that has fluctuated from a baseline of about 138,000 US troops. Currently, about 160,000 US troops are in the country as part of a temporary buildup for the Dec. 15 elections.
Meanwhile, Al-Qaeda’s Iraq operation, led by Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, said yesterday it was launching an offensive in the west of Iraq in response to a major US and Iraqi military operation on the Syrian border.
“Your brothers in the military branch of Al-Qaeda in the Land of Two Rivers are launching today (Tuesday) ‘The Conquest of Vengeance’ on behalf of the Sunni community in Al-Qaim,” the group said in an online statement which could not be independently verified.
It stressed the group’s “right to defend the (Islamic) nation and avenge the honor and blood” of Iraqis.
