UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan welcomed the important agreement reached to expand Iraq's Constitution Drafting Committee, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

In a statement released by the spokesman, Annan said the committee is now more inclusive of the country's Sunni Arab community.

The secretary-general is pleased that his Special Representative for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi and the Head of the Office of Constitutional Support of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, Nicholas Haysom, were able to help facilitate the agreement.

Annan hoped that the people of Iraq will seize this historic opportunity to pursue a constitutional process that is responsive to the key demands of all Iraqi political constituencies and that every effort will be made to complete the drafting of the constitution in accordance with the agreed timetable.

The United Nations will continue to do everything possible to support the constitution-making process and to facilitate Iraq's political transition in accordance with its mandate under Security Council resolution 1546, the secretary-general said.

Source: Xinhua