Annan will consider sending advisory team

Following talks at UN headquarters in New York on Monday with members of the Iraqi Governing Council and representatives of the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan said he would consider a request for an advisory team to be sent to Iraq to examine the feasibility of elections before the end of June as well as possible alternatives, a UN statement said. Annan noted that the talks covered a wide spectrum of issues, including the transitional political process, humanitarian relief, security and the recovery and reconstruction of Iraq. Following the talks, the Secretary-General spoke about the request for the advisory team. "On the basis of those discussions, I will be in a better position to take decisions about what the UN can do to help, particularly regarding the possible dispatch of a mission to Iraq to advise on elections," he said. UN staff numbers in Iraq were reduced following the bombing at the UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 August in which 23 people were killed. This has impacted on important humanitarian work. On the possible UN role prior to the transfer of power back to Iraqi's, Annan said: "We have agreed that further discussions should take place at the technical level, which would be focussed on the most immediate electoral and security issues." Annan also impressed on the importance of elections: "I think we all agree that elections are going to be necessary; indeed, there is provision for two sets of elections in 2005. The issue now is whether the technical, political or security conditions exist for general direct elections to take place as early as May this year," he said. The meeting was proposed by the Secretary-General last month to hear "the assessment of the Governing Council on how the process in Iraq was evolving and what Iraq expects of the UN by way of assistance." The delegations were led by the current President of the Iraqi Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi, and the senior US Administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer.