Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Iraq

Iraq asks UN to abandon political mission in Baghdad

PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani sent letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday

Associated Press
Published
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for May 10

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

The Iraqi government has requested that the United Nations end a mission set up to promote governance and human rights reforms in the country by the end of 2025, the latest in a series of international bodies operating in the nation that Iraq has sought to wind down.

The letter sent Wednesday by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres declared that there is "no need for the continuation" of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Sudani said Iraq's government has "been able to achieve a number of important steps" in areas that fall under the body's mandate. rendering it redundant.

IRAQ'S FORMER DEFENSE MINISTER ARRESTED IN SWEDISH AIRPORT FOR ALLEGED BENEFITS FRAUD

Typically, the mission is extended annually by the U.N. Security Council, with the current term expiring at the end of this month.

Sudani's letter did not oppose a one-year extension but said the mission should focus on wrapping up its tasks to ensure a permanent closure and transfer of its responsibilities by the end of 2025.

Iraqs Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani

Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani listens during a meeting with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, April 15, 2024, in Washington.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Established in 2003 in the wake of the U.S. invasion that toppled longtime dictator Saddam Hussein, UNAMI had been tasked with a number of missions, including facilitating dialogue among various groups, assisting with election logistics, monitoring human rights, and coordinating aid in conflict-affected areas.

A UNAMI spokesperson and a spokesperson for Sudani declined to comment on the Iraqi government request.

Sudani's government has made a series of moves to extricate Iraq from the presence of international bodies set up post-2003.

Earlier this year, Iraq initiated discussions to phase out the mission of a U.S.-led military coalition formed to fight the Islamic State group.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Baghdad has also decided not to renew the mandate for the U.N. Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by ISIS, and requested that the team exit by September 2024.