UN to Increase Iraq Presence

US praises decision, but adds it too will continue to be involved
By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 10, 2007 1:20 PM CDT
UN to Increase Iraq Presence
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad gestures during an interview with the Associated Press Friday, May 18, 2007 at the United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)   (Associated Press)

The UN will expand its role in Iraq and try to help quell the sectarian violence that has hobbled the country, after a Security Council vote today. Iraq's government says it'll help peacekeepers mediate disputes between the feuding sectarian groups and among Iraq’s neighbors in the region; the blue helmets will also address the country’s humanitarian crisis.

The US and Britain, who co-sponsored the resolution, argued the UN should shoulder more of the burden in Iraq, but the US ambassador to Iraq stressed the UN’s work is “not a substitute for what the United States is doing.” The resolution requires the UN to submit to Iraqi authority and pull out personnel if security conditions deteriorate. (More Iraq stories.)

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