Delivered by the Deputy Permanent Representative of Estonia to the UN Mr. Gert Auväärt
I would like to thank Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert for her briefing.
As pointed out by several speakers before me, Iraq is facing several challenges. The Iraqi Government must act now and develop long-term measures to overcome them. It is crucial that all political actors show national unity and solidarity and allow Prime Minister Kadhimi’s government to do all it can to move towards a democratic, peaceful and prosperous Iraq. We call on the international community to show its continuous support to Iraq in these trying times.
The efforts of the Iraqi Government to combat COVID-19 and to mitigate the effects of the economic crisis are welcome and should be supported. However, more attention should be paid to the impact of the crisis on vulnerable populations, including women and children.
In order to improve long-term stability and to respond to the calls of the people, we urge the Iraqi Government to accelerate structural reforms, including economic reforms, implement effective measures to counter corruption and enforce rule of law. Furthermore, it is essential to carry out the security sector reform and bring all armed forces under state control. It is positive that the Iraqi Government programme aims in the same direction.
We welcome the announcement of elections taking place in June 2021. We look forward to Iraq conducting free and fair elections with the continued electoral assistance by UNAMI. We also urge the Council of Representatives to finalize the Elections Law.
The efforts of the new Iraqi Government towards ensuring accountability for violations carried out during the demonstrations are a step in the right direction. Hopefully, these efforts will continue, with the ongoing engagement of UNAMI and the relevant UN bodies.
Although there has not been such violent crackdown of protests anymore, several worrying incidents have still occurred during the recent months, including violence against protesters, arbitrary arrests of journalists as well as killings of civil society activists. We call on the Iraqi Government to ensure the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly and to hold the perpetrators to account.
Regarding regional developments, I would like to stress the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. We call on all actors to refrain from any military action, which would threaten the stability of Iraq.
Finally, concerning the issues of the missing Kuwaiti persons and property, even though progress has been limited due to COVID-19 related restrictions, I welcome the commitment of the Iraqi Government to resolving the outstanding issues and the positive contacts between the two countries in this regard.
