The debate on the reconstruction of Iraq held by the United Nations Security Council members ended on Tuesday with many countries calling for a clear timetable to ensure an early restoration of sovereignty to Iraq and for the UN to co-ordinate the return to stability in the war-torn country.

With continued loss of life weighing heavily on the coalition forces still in Iraq and fear of reprisals still high among Iraqi citizens despite reports that Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay may have been killed in a raid in Mosul on Tuesday, the need for a concerted international effort under UN control was high on the agenda of most members.

Germany ready to contribute

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said Germany believed that the UN could make a significant contribution to the political transition in Iraq by lending legitimacy to the process. Pleuger emphasized the urgent need for international assistance for Iraq's economic revival and expressed his country's readiness to contribute its share to the reconstruction costs.

However, the ambassador added that contributions and support from other members of the international community would only be forthcoming when full transparency and international participation in the decision making process is assured.

Jean-Marc De La Sabliere, the French ambassador to the UN, said his country as well as the European Union supported a successful political and economic reconstruction of Iraq. He was one of many members who believed that the establishment of the recently installed Governing Council in Iraq was a positive first step toward the creation of a representative and internationally recognized government in the country.

France reiterates UN support

De La Sabliere reiterated France’s opinion that the UN should be integral in the creation of a constitution in Iraq and the creation of a social system to support it, saying: “Only the United Nations has the impartiality and expertise to assure an effective restoration of the Iraqi state apparatus.” He also urged the UN to take an ambitious approach to its role in financial and economic reconstruction of Iraq.

The Russian ambassador, Gennady Gatilov, said the international community can help the Iraqi people out of their crisis only through the respect for the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country. He stressed that the security problem could not be resolved solely by military means, without establishing a political process. “The people of Iraq must determine their own future, and the international community must provide assistance toward that end,” he said. Gatilov also stressed the need for a clear timetable, which would lead to the establishment of full sovereignty and an end to the military occupation.

End to military occupation

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan addressed the subject of continued military involvement in Iraq by saying, “Our collective goal remains an early end to the military occupation through the formation of an internationally recognized, representative government.”

The Secretary-General added that the establishment of the Governing Council must be followed by a constitutional process run by and for Iraqis. The United Nations would continue to play an active role in facilitating the political process, working together with the Governing Council and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). “In all we do, we need to keep the interests of the Iraqi people at the forefront of our minds”, he stressed.