Follow us! Follow us!

U.N. calls for restraint in Iraq

From Reputable News Sources

U.N. calls for restraint in Iraq

Unread postby Stillw8n » Wed Jan 16, 2013 9:52 am

U.N. calls for restraint in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Iraqi protesters and political groups alike are called on to exercise their utmost restraint in airing their grievances, the U.N. envoy to Iraq said.

At least five people were killed in violence Wednesday in Baghdad while car bomb blasts in the restive northern city of Kirkuk left at least 19 others dead, The New York Times reported.

Police said the target in Kirkuk may have been the local office of Masoud Barzani, president of Iraq's semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region. A leader from the Kurdistan Democratic Party in Kirkuk told the U.S. newspaper that the country was "witnessing a political crisis."

Political turmoil descended on Iraq following the 2011 departure of U.S. combat forces. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki charged his vice president with operating a death squad and the Shiite leader has since faced mounting calls to step down ahead of April elections.

The country's finance minster escaped a recent assassination attempt and Tuesday parliamentarian Ifan al-Issawi was slain during protests in the former insurgent stronghold of Fallujah, the provincial capital of Anbar

Martin Kobler, U.N. special envoy to Iraq and head of the U.N. assistance mission there, said all sides to the crisis in Iraq need to honor the rule of law.

"I call again on all political forces to foil any attempt at instigating strife and to demonstrate utmost restraint," he said in a statement.

A protest movement has emerged in the western Sunni province of Anbar. Kobler said protesters there should remain peaceful, while security forces are reminded of their obligation to show restraint.

upi.com
~The opinions expressed in the above article do not necessarily reflect the views of the person posting~
User avatar
Stillw8n
Admin
Admin
 
Posts: 4520
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 4:10 pm

Return to IMF & UN News

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 50 guests

cron