Activities of Secretary-General in Iraq, 13 December

The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday, 13 December where he attended a ceremony organized by the Iraqi Government to mark the closure, after 22 years, of the UN political mission in Iraq, known as the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

The Secretary-General was greeted at the airport by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Iraq, Fuad Mohammad Hussein.

The Secretary-General travelled directly for a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.

In a press encounter with reporters after the meeting, Mr. Guterres said he and the Prime Minister had discussed the closing of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq. Over the last 22 years, this special mission has acted with humility and determination to help Iraqis rebuild following decades of oppression, war and instability, fully respecting the principle of national ownership, the Secretary-General underscored.

As UNAMI ends its mandate the Secretary-General stressed that the UN, through its agencies would remain a presence in Iraq continuing their vital development work in support of Iraq and Iraqis.

In closing, the Secretary-General said that there is one thing the world must understand, Iraq is now a normal country, and relations between the UN and Iraq will become normal relations with the end of UNAMI.

Following a lunch hosted by the Prime Minister, the Secretary-General joined senior members of the Iraqi Government and representatives of the diplomatic corps in Baghdad, to attend an official ceremony to mark the closing of the UN's political mission in Iraq.

In public remarks at the ceremony, the Secretary-General said that, as we close this chapter, we celebrate and mark the courage, fortitude and determination of the Iraqi people who have overcome decades of violence, oppression, war, terrorism, sectarianism and foreign interference.

"For those who lived through the troubled early years of the transition, today's Iraq is unrecognizable and remarkable," Mr. Guterres said, adding that UNAMI was honoured and humbled to walk side by side with the Iraqi people.

Reflecting on the 2003 terrorist attack on the UN headquarters in the Iraqi capital, the Secretary-General said that we honour the memory and legacy of our colleagues who perished, including Sérgio Vieira de Mello, the first Special Representative to lead the Mission.

To close out the day, the Secretary-General met with the President of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid. The Secretary-General thanked the President for Iraq's support to UNAMI and the United Nations. The Secretary-General emphasized that the United Nations would continue to stand firmly with the Government and people of Iraq, and that the UN agencies present in the country to support Iraq. They also exchanged views on regional developments.

The Secretary-General left Iraq in the evening of Saturday, 13 December.