U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon yesterday called Iraq “a problem of the whole world” and told President Bush he will boost the U.N. role in brokering a stable political settlement.
“We are prepared to contribute to Iraqi government and people to help them overcome this difficulty,” Mr. Ban said after discussions with Mr. Bush that covered North Korea’s nuclear program, Israeli-Palestinian issues, global warming and continuing genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region.
Mr. Ban said the U.N. is prepared to “step up” efforts to end the killings in Darfur. He promised a hybrid military force to try to enforce peace “as soon as possible” and said he also will press for moving toward a political solution.
“We have made considerable progress,” said Mr. Ban, adding that there will be international negotiations in Arusha, Tanzania, in early August about how to move forward.
The United States has been in the lead in pushing for international action to end the conflict, which has left an estimated 200,000 Sudanese dead and forced hundreds of thousands of others to flee their homes. Mr. Bush has labeled the conflict a “genocide,” but other world leaders, including those at the U.N., have been reluctant to follow his lead.
Mr. Bush said he and Mr. Ban talked about Iraq and Islamic radicalism, and he defended the invasion of Iraq as a move that weakened radical terrorists such as al Qaeda.
“Al Qaeda is strong today, but they’re not nearly as strong as they were prior to September the 11th, 2001, and the reason why is, is because we’ve been working with the world to keep the pressure on,” the president said, hours after the release of declassified findings of a new National Intelligence Estimate that found a resurgent al Qaeda still intent on mounting attacks on U.S. soil.
Mr. Ban said there are plans for broader international engagement in Iraq.
In recent days, he seemed to give some backing to Mr. Bush’s go-slow approach to U.S. troop withdrawal. In a press conference Monday at the United Nations, Mr. Ban said the U.S. needs to use “great caution” as it pulls troops from Iraq.
“Any abrupt withdrawal or decision may lead to a further deterioration,” he said.
The United States has pushed for the U.N. to take a bigger role in humanitarian aid and in supporting the Iraqi government. Yesterday, the secretary-general said the U.N. will “help their political facilitation, as well as economic and social reconstruction.”
Mr. Ban had public praise for Mr. Bush on other issues: On global warming, he invited Mr. Bush to take part in a “high-level U.N. debate” to be held Sept. 24; he welcomed Mr. Bush’s announcement Monday of a renewed diplomatic effort for peace between Palestinians and Israel; and he lauded U.S. “flexibility” in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear program.
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