UN Head Welcomes Iraq Back To Family of Nations

Welcoming Iraq back to family of nations, Annan urges reconciliation

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today welcomed Iraq back into the family of independent and sovereign nations and urged the country's people to consolidate stability and foster understanding.

Reacting to the United States' handover of power today to an interim Iraqi Government, Mr. Annan called on "all Iraqis to come together in a spirit of national unity and reconciliation, through a process of open dialogue and consensus-building, to lay down secure foundations for the new Iraq," a UN spokesman said in a statement.

"Their first duty is to assist their interim Government to establish security for the population so that the difficult process of return toward normalcy can commence," spokesman Stephane Dujarric added.

The Secretary-General pledged that the UN would "do everything possible, as circumstances permit, to help the Iraqi people in this challenging yet vital process," Mr. Dujarric said.

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