April 22, 2004 Note: This report has been compiled from publicly available information. Although information has been gathered from reliable sources the currency and completeness of the information reported herein is subject to change and cannot be guaranteed. Inquiries, updates and comments are welcome and should be directed to PDMIN team at
[email protected]. 1 Note: New content has been inserted in red, italicized, bold font. Overview Humanitarian Situation: Continued concern about security, kidnapping, crime, and lethal exchanges between coalition and Iraqis; food distribution OK; infrastructure slowly improving; reconstruction slowing; Political: Emergency meeting of 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Malaysia calls for UN Security Council resolution and central UN role in restoring Iraqi sovereignty and independence; US plans for current US Ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte, to become Ambassador to Iraq—will head largest US embassy and report to US State Department; UN: Several member countries of OIC say they would send troops to Iraq to protect the UN or in response to UN request; Secretary-General Kofi Annan reiterates that he does not expect UN peacekeepers in Iraq, but rather a Security Council-approved multinational force; UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemns bombings of police facilities in Basra; Refugees: Between 80,000 and 130,000 Iraqi refugees believed to remain in Iran; Large majority of refugees returning unassisted with minimal problems; UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)