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Ban deems UN staff safety in Iraq as "paramount concern" (2) |
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10:48, August 18, 2007 |
"I understand the fears and concerns some staff may have about any expansion," Ban said. "That is why I affirm to you today that any such measure remains strictly subject to conditions on the ground. Your safety is and always will be a paramount concern."
UNAMI, established by the Security Council through resolution 1500 adopted on Aug. 14, 2003, now maintains an international staff of some 50 people in Baghdad''s heavily-fortified Green Zone.
Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs Lynne Pascoe said Tuesday that the United Nations may raise the ceiling for its international staff in Iraq from the current 65 to 95 by October.
"At the same time, the terrorists who struck so cruelly in Baghdad must, one day, be brought to justice," he said, standing before a memorial to the victims and a frame holding the tattered UN flag which survived the bombing.
"There can be no impunity for such murderers," he stressed.
The secretary-general said his thoughts are with the survivors of the Baghdad bombing, and the families of those who died, and also paid tribute "to the brave men and women who continue to serve the United Nations, in Iraq and beyond."
At Friday''s ceremony, the UN chief led staff members at the headquarters to observed a minute of silence to honor the memory of the victims.
Meanwhile, UN staff members also gathered at regional headquarters in Addis Ababa, Baghdad, Bangkok, Geneva, Nairobi, Santiago, Vienna and other locations, to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the bombing at Baghdad''s Canal Hotel, which also wounded more than 150 people.
Source: Xinhua
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