Caricom wants UN to have central role in Iraq
By Felicia Persaud
Member governments of the Caribbean Community are urging the US to allow the United Nations to play a "central role" in post-war Iraq.
In a statement released on Monday, 14 April Caricom said international states must "continue to rely heavily on the United Nations, the primacy of international law, and adherence to international obligations for the protection of its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the furtherance of its interests."
The organization's leaders declared that the UN "must play a central role in the provision of humanitarian assistance... also in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of that country's political, institutional and physical structures. The interests and will of the Iraqi people must be paramount in this process."
The statement added, "The need for the United Nations and the authority of the Security Council has never been greater than it is today. In an increasingly inter-dependent world, all nations now must co-operate and collaborate in a wide diversity of areas. Global governance will only succeed if it is based on multilateralism."
"The world community, in accordance with the UN Charter, must be united to heal rifts wherever they loom and resolve conflict wherever they threaten, however protracted and difficult it may be to find a solution," it explained.
The group also stressed its concern at the rising global tensions and the grave implications for the preservation of international peace and security.
Caricom has been at odds with the US over its failure to support the war on Iraq.