S/2004/84 Security Council
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
United Nations S/2004/84 Security Council Distr.: General 3 February 2004 Original: English Letter dated 26 January 2004 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council In accordance with Article 54 of the Charter of the United Nations, and with reference to the second meeting of the Arab Specialized Organizations and Financial Institutions on Assisting Iraq, held on 6 January 2004 in Amman, Jordan, please find attached herewith a summary of the proposals and projects presented by the Arab organizations and funds, and the conclusions of the aforementioned meeting (see annexes). I request that the present letter and its annexes be circulated as a document of the Security Council. (Signed) Yahya Mahmassani Ambassador 04-32892 (E) 140904 *0432892* S/2004/84 Annex I to the letter dated 26 January 2004 from the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council League of Arab States General Secretariat Report of the General Secretariat on the second meeting of the Joint Arab Action group in support of the Iraqi people (Amman, Jordan, 6 January 2004) Summary of the report on the second meeting of the Joint Arab Action group in support of the Iraqi people (Amman, Jordan, 6 January 2004) - Mr. Amre Moussa, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, convened the second meeting of the Joint Arab Action group in support of the Iraqi people, which was hosted by the Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences (AABFS) in Amman, Jordan, on 6 January 2004. The meeting was opened by the Secretary-General and had one item on its agenda, namely the role of the Joint Arab Action group in support of the Iraqi people. The Secretary-General affirmed the importance of the Arab effort in supporting the Iraqi people in all areas of politics, humanitarian affairs and development, as well as in contributing effectively to the reconstruction and practising tangible Arab solidarity in order to assist Iraq in its return to sovereignty and help Iraqis to assume responsibility for managing their own affairs and ending the occupation on the basis of a set timetable. - Representatives of Arab States, organizations, funds and financial institutions (25 Arab organizations and institutions) participated in the meeting, along with representatives of the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) and the Union of Arab Investors (UAI) (the list of participants is appended hereto). - The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States received proposals from 17 organizations and funds included among the joint Arab action institutions. - The Minister of Planning and International Cooperation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dr. Basim Awadallah, gave a presentation setting out the prospective Arab role in the reconstruction of Iraq, including the objectives sought with a view to speeding up the renovation process, Jordan’s role in that process and proposals in connection with the role of Arab States in the reconstruction of Iraq (a summary of the Jordanian presentation is appended hereto). - The head of the Iraqi delegation, Ambassador Nasir al-Samara’i, gave an address on behalf of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in which he thanked the Secretary-General for the efforts made by the League of Arab States and its organizations in favour of Iraq and its people. He also thanked the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the State of Kuwait and the 2 S/2004/84 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for their support and assistance to Iraq. He further expressed his appreciation to the League of Arab States for its initiative to dispatch a delegation to Iraq. - Ambassador Ahmad bin Hali, Assistant Secretary-General, reported on the outcomes of the mission undertaken by the delegation from the League of Arab States, focusing on the importance of activating the role of Arab organizations and institutions in the process of reconstructing Iraq in conjunction with the concerned Iraqi and international authorities. He also urged the preparation of a conference for investors and the private sector in the interest of contributing to the support for Iraq and its reconstruction. - Arab financial organizations and institutions presented their proposals and projects in the context of support for the Iraqi people and the reconstruction of Iraq. - Representatives of the United Nations, the World Bank and IMF presented their proposals in connection with the reconstruction in Iraq, emphasizing the importance of coordination and cooperation in that regard with the League of Arab States and the organizations and institutions attached to it. - The meeting produced recommendations affirming the importance of effective participation in the international efforts to assist Iraq and of the establishment of a mechanism for coordination among Arab organizations and institutions, as well as a mechanism for cooperation and coordination comprising the Iraqi, Arab and international actors involved in the reconstruction (the recommendations are appended hereto), Main outcomes of the meeting · The participants expressed full solidarity with Iraq and, through the recommendations produced by the meeting, affirmed the importance of effective participation in the international efforts to assist Iraq in conjunction with the international organizations concerned, establish a mechanism for coordination among Arab institutions and organizations and a mechanism for cooperation and coordination comprising the Iraqi, Arab and international actors involved in the reconstruction in Iraq. · The participating international organizations emphasized that it was important for the League of Arab States and the organizations and institutions attached to it to perform an effective role in the Iraq reconstruction process. They also expressed their readiness to coordinate and cooperate with the Iraqi side in that connection. · The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) announced the allocation of US$ 500 million to fund projects in the sectors of education, vocational training, health, water, sanitation, agriculture, food security and electricity, as well as projects designed to build exports and imports of essential and productive goods. · The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan announced the establishment of an Iraqi investment company with a capital of US$ 50 million. · SFD highlighted the contribution announced by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the Madrid Conference, estimated at approximately US$ 1 billion, to fund 3 S/2004/84 development projects through SFD in the fields of education, health and infrastructure, as well as to finance and secure Iraqi exports through SFD development programmes. · The Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) announced the allocation of US$ 20 million for the rehabilitation of one of its companies in Iraq. It also expressed its firm intention to send a mission to Iraq in search of new investment opportunities and stated that it was ready to provide technical support to any projects relating to Iraq’s agricultural sector. · The representative of the World Bank at the meeting underlined the sum announced at the International Donors Conference for the Reconstruction of Iraq, held in Madrid on 1 October 2003, amounting to between US$ 3.5 billion and US$ 5 billion over five years in the form of loans and soft loans. · The IMF representative underlined the contribution proposed by IMF at the Madrid Conference, amounting to between US$ 2.5 million and US$ 4.25 million in the form of loans over three years. · A number of Arab organizations and funds1 emphasized their willingness to provide technical assistance and contribute to the preparation of retraining programmes for Iraq’s human resources. Some organizations also offered projects for the rehabilitation of Iraq’s vital sectors. Arab States and financial institutions, however, will be required to provide material support for the implementation of these projects and programmes. · A number of joint Arab action institutions expressed their firm intention to send delegations and missions to Iraq in order to explore ways of contributing to the assistance and assuming an effective role in the process of Iraq’s reconstruction, namely CAEU (CAEU), AABFS, the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), the Arab Civil Aviation Commission (ACAC), the Inter-Arab Investment Guarantee Corporation (IAIGC), which sent a member of its technical apparatus to represent it in Baghdad and monitor economic developments in Iraq, and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD), which also sent a technical delegation to Iraq. · The representative of the Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior at the meeting stated that, at its twenty-first session held in Tunis on 5 January 2004, the Council adopted resolution No. 425 on support for the Ministry of the Interior in Iraq. · The joint Arab action institutions affirmed their welcome of cooperation and coordination with the international organizations involved in Iraq’s reconstruction and of coordination with the competent authorities in Iraq through the League of Arab States. _______________ 1 CAEU, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO), the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), ALECSO, the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD),