UNITED NATIONS, New York – Iraq will host a major diplomatic event when delegates from the 15-member UN Security Council visit Iraq for the first time in April or May.
Speaking to Rudaw's Majeed Gly at the UN in New York, Holland’s ambassador to the UN said the visit, scheduled to take place ahead of Iraq’s May 12 parliamentary elections, will send a clear message that the UNSC supports the democratic process in Iraq.
It remains unclear whether the delegation will also visit the Kurdistan Region.
“Although the details have not yet been finalized, the UNSC’s visit is a message to Iraq and the international community also that Iraq has risen up again and returned to the international arena in full force,” said Mohammad Hussein Ali Bahr Aluloom, the Iraqi ambassador to the UN.
“The message we carried during the fight against ISIS was clear to the whole world, the whole international community supported the unity of Iraq and that they supported Iraq in the fight against terror.”
According to three diplomats of the council preparing for the visit, the purpose is to show support for the political process in Iraq after the defeat of ISIS there in December 2017.
The Iraqi parliamentary elections will be held on May 12. Official election campaigning will begin on April 14 across Iraq, but will be delayed by one day in the Kurdistan Region, as Kurds will commemorate the Anfal Campaign on April 14.
Iraqi and Kurdish entities will compete for 328 seats in parliament. Of this number, 43 seats are entitled to the Kurdistan Region and 13 for Kirkuk.
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