IRAQ today said it wanted multinational police forces to operate under a United Nations banner to control the violent insurgency across the war-ravaged country. The Iraqi government would soon discuss such a proposal with the new UN special envoy to Iraq, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, who arrived yesterday in Baghdad, interior ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim said. "The security situation in Iraq is such that there are a lot of vacuums across the country which breeds undesirable elements," he said. "To erase these vacuums what we need is more international police forces." Mr Kadhim said the forces should operate under the United Nations banner. "We are going to discuss this with the new UN envoy so that our police forces are boosted and better trained in handling the internal security situation," Mr Kadhim said. "It is not that the multinational military forces are doing a bad job, but the situation needs more policing and for that we would request international police forces in Iraq." He said the proposal was also part of Iraq's desire to involve the United Nations "actively" in the country's security issues.
| "So put up or shut up..." |
|