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The United Nations Secretary General began a surprise trip to the Middle Eastern nation to show UN support for the Baghdad government, which in recent years has suffered constant crises and the direct threat of terrorism.
Two weeks after the twentieth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war, the Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has formalized his first visit to this nation in six years to show the “support” that the Iraqi government has for the organization that It represents. On this surprise trip, the leader plans to visit various areas of the country and see what their situation is after decades of conflict, crisis and terrorism.
During his first day of visit, Guterres met with members of the Iraqi government in Baghdad and with various youth associations. A gesture that, according to him, is intended to “underline the commitment of the United Nations to support Iraq in the consolidation of its democratic institutions and to promote peace, sustainable development and human rights for all Iraqis”.
His visit is essential to strengthen the Iraqi government, which constantly has to deal with a complex political, economic and social situation. Problems that, for Guterres himself, “nobody can expect to be resolved overnight” despite the fact that in recent years this Arab nation has experienced relative tranquility compared to previous periods.
In his statements with the Iraqi government, the Secretary General warned that this “so slow” process is due to the fact that Iraq’s problems “did not arise overnight”, but rather “are the product of decades of oppression, war, terrorism, sectarianism and foreign interference”.
A few words that resonate strongly when this March 20th marks the 20th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq decreed by former President George W. Bush to dispossess the then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein of alleged “weapons of mass destruction”, weapons that have never been could verify its existence.
I just concluded a very productive meeting with @mohamedshiaPrime Minister of Iraq.
As I told him, I am here to underscore the commitment of the @A to support Iraq in advancing peace, human rights, and sustainable development for all Iraqis. pic.twitter.com/lK2enC9tdf
—António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 1, 2023
In addition, Iraq is currently under pressure from Iran, through the actions of Shiite groups with a strong base in the theorems of Tehran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, making this nation a strategic point in the complicated geopolitics of the Middle East. and a bridge between the main regional powers. Especially between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who are the biggest rivals in the region.
Visit to the Iraqi Kurdish region
For the day of March 2, Guterres intends to visit the Kurdish city of Irbil, in the north of the country and capital of the autonomous region. This area was one of the hardest hit by Islamic terrorism during the rise of the Islamic State. The jihadist group controlled a good part of Iraqi territory during its maximum expansion and the war against its militants left thousands dead.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, Guterres will visit refugee camps for the thousands of families displaced by the violence of the Islamic State, many of whom have lived for years in subhuman and overcrowded conditions with minors in their care. In addition, he will be able to visit the so-called “rehabilitation” centers for former fighters of the Islamic States who repented of their actions.
In Iraq, the question of what to do with these people, many of whom are extremely young, is a recurring debate. Most of the jihadist fighters were killed in the 2018 offensives, but many of them were captured and held, their families concentrated in camps.
The young Iraqi democracy has had to deal with several extreme situations since its creation. Its origin dates back to the end of Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship in 2003. During the first years it had pro-Western rulers and was assisted by the US army and several Europeans. However, this military deployment was not a guarantee to stabilize the country and, over time, the population began to feel rejection towards the occupiers due to various scandals against the population and their way of acting.
After the departure of the foreign troops, the situation was not much better. In Iraq, a power vacuum was created that the Islamic State group took advantage of to expand its force in the north of the nation, managing to control up to a third of its territory. This security crisis could only be resolved after the fight by an international coalition against this terrorist group that devastated Iraq for years and came to control Mosul, one of its most important cities.
In recent years, the government has suffered interference from other regional powers and its relationship with the United States has become tense due to actions such as the bombardment of the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Qassem Soleimani, in its territory. Despite this, Iraq continues to be a firm ally of Washington and Tehran and now seeks to continue consolidating the growing stability of recent years.
With EFE and Reuters
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