Iraqi Officials Seek UN Help In Rehabilitating Najaf And Sadr City
Iraqi officials today sought United Nations help in rehabilitating urban areas hard-hit by recent clashes, including
Najaf and Sadr city in Baghdad.
Iraq's Minister of Planning and Development, Mahdi al Hafez, relayed the request during a meeting with the Deputy UN
Special Representative for Iraq, Ross Mountain, who arrived in Baghdad on Sunday evening.
Mr. al Hafez voiced appreciation for the level of coordination between the UN and Iraq, noting that many rehabilitation
projects - focusing on water, electricity, education and health - are already receiving financial support from the UN
Development Group Trust Fund for Iraq.
Mr. Mountain was later briefed on Iraq's electoral process by Carlos Valenzuela, the head of the UN Electoral Team in
the country, who said he will soon accompany members of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq to the north to
discuss polling modalities for the election of the Kurdistan National Assembly.
In other meetings today, Human Rights Office Elio Tamburi discussed the promotion of the rule of law in the war-ravaged
country with Bakhtiar Amin, the Minister of Human Rights, who said plans are underway for Iraq to ratify the Convention
against Torture.