UN envoy warns about Fallujah

BAGHDAD -- The new UN envoy to Iraq warned yesterday that a US offensive in Fallujah could further divide the nation as it struggles to prepare for January elections.

Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the special representative for Iraq, said in an interview that the United Nations was prepared to mediate a peaceful solution in Fallujah, the rebel stronghold that has been under almost daily bombardment by US warplanes.

"There is a concern with respect primarily to civilian casualties which are taking place and the impact it could have for the political process," said Qazi, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States.

Asked whether the United Nations had offered to intervene in the Fallujah standoff, Qazi said, "The UN is ready to do anything anywhere which can strengthen the political process through promoting national reconciliation."

Qazi expressed optimism that the Iraqi government would continue talks with leaders in Fallujah. Iraqi security officials said Saturday that negotiations had resumed after breaking down earlier in the month.

A leading Sunni Muslim group, the Muslim Clerics Association, has threatened to boycott the election if US and Iraqi interim government forces launch a major assault on the city. Sunni Muslims represent about 20 percent of Iraq's population.

Radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who also had threatened to boycott the election, issued a statement yesterday criticizing the United States and supporting the residents of Fallujah. "I am with you hand in hand," Sadr said in the statement.

Sadr and the Sunnis are viewed as critical players in the political process, and refusal to participate in the election could raise serious questions about its legitimacy.

Qazi said the United Nations hopes to persuade all major parties to embrace the election process and previous proposals to exclude certain restive cities, such as Fallujah or Ramadi, were no longer being actively considered.

"The elections need to not only take place on time, but they've got be credible, comprehensive, and everywhere," he said.

Officials with the US military, which is continuing its bombing campaign of Fallujah and preparing for a larger assault, declined to comment on whether the United Nations could take a role in peace talks, saying they have not heard any formal proposals.

Qazi also said he expected to increase the number of election experts in Iraq "fairly soon." He rejected criticism that the United Nations wasn't providing the promised support to ensure a vote could take place by Jan. 31.

"The circumstances here have not been very conducive nor congenial," said Qazi, who has spent about four weeks in the country since his appointment this summer. "In fact, the security environment hasn't improved at all. Some would even contend it has deteriorated. But here we are. It would be wrong to just concentrate on the limits of what we can do."

Qazi said that an additional 15 UN staffers might soon be hired. But the new staff would be sent only if adequate measures could be taken to protect them.

So far, only seven UN election experts are in working in Iraq. The international body has agreed to send 35 staffers.

The United Nations withdrew its staff last year after a car bomb killed 22 employees, including Qazi's predecessor, Sergio de Mello.