Plasschaert: We await the implementation of the Kazemi correctional paper
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jenin Blashart, confirmed, on Tuesday, THE ECONOMIC PAPER PRESENTED BY MUSTAFA AL- KAZEMI’S GOVERNMENT IS AWAITING IMPLEMENTATION, while noting that the religious authority, Ali al-Sistani stressed the importance of voting in the elections freely and without any pressure.
“In my last briefing to you, I mentioned that the government of Iraq has been working against multiple storms simultaneously from the start. I would like to emphasize that this is still largely the case,” Blashardt said in a briefing to the Security Council about the situation in Iraq. “Many interconnected crises on the political, security, economic, financial and social fronts, and of course, health.”
She added, “The financial and economic situation in Iraq is still worrying, at the very least. The economy is expected to contract by about 10% this year, and the impact of the Corona virus has caused more chaos in the already very weak private sector activity, and oil prices continue their prolonged stagnation. Constitutes downward pressure on the gross domestic product and domestic revenues.
She noted, “In mid-October, the long-awaited economic white paper was issued. This important document provides a very useful overview of the structural imbalances that characterize the economy and without broad political consensus to turn the document into reality, it will only be words on the paper.” She pointed out, “The drop in levels of violence in Iraq is greatly encouraging,” indicating that “the supreme authority, Sistani, stressed the importance of voting freely in the elections without any pressure.”
She indicated, “With regard to relations between Baghdad and Erbil, we will all agree on the existence of a positive and constructive relationship between federalism in Iraq, which is the key to the stability of the whole country.”
She explained, “The centrality of Iraq in building regional stability is real, and it is worth repeating that, and it must be protected from competition from foreign powers, and Iraqis must be given a space to focus on their strength at home,” stressing that “the leadership of Iraq continues to assert its independence and sovereignty, and seeks To keep all communication channels open because it adopts a foreign policy that serves the Iraqi national interest.
Plasschaert welcomed the “decrease in attacks on diplomatic missions.” “While we fully understand that the Iraqi authorities are working under tremendous time pressure, it must be clear that closing the camps should not lead to another crisis, for example in the form of secondary displacement, which is already happening in Iraq.”