UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday assured his staff that safety of UN workers was a top concern after the world body agreed to expand its mission in the war-ravaged country.
The decision last week by the Security Council to call for the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) to "advise, support and assist" the Iraqi government on a wide range of issues, came four years after a massive bomb killed 22 people at UN headquarters in Baghdad.
"The Security's Council's recent decision to renew and strengthen UNAMI's mandate is an opportunity to carry forward the work of Sergio Vieira de Mello and his colleagues," Ban said, referring to the special envoy who died in the attack.
"I understand the fears and concerns some staff may have about any expansion," Ban said during a ceremony to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the August 19, 2003 attack, which also wounded around 150 people.
"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's mandate, which was extended by one year, is to advise Baghdad on political, economic, legal, and human rights, among other issues, activities which are common for the world body, but usually take place in post-conflict situations.
Currently there are only 55 UN staffers in the country, 50 in Baghdad and five in Basra. Some 235 UNAMI-affiliated staffers work out of Jordan and Kuwait.
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