UN senior official says Gaza war is pressuring Iraq into a conflict it wants to avoid

The mandate of Unami is set to conclude after the country's 2025 general elections

Claudio Cordone repeated UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza

The war in Gaza is pressuring Iraq to be drawn into a spiralling conflict it wishes to avoid, despite the government's efforts to remain detached, the top UN official in the country warned.

Claudio Cordone, the UN deputy special representative for Iraq, told The National that he believes Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani is determined to avoid tension after a long period of relative calm.

Mr Cordone was speaking before the anniversary of the deadly attack on the UN in Iraq on August 19, 2003, at the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, the UN's headquarters at the time. A lorry bomb exploded, killing 22 people, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN’s senior envoy in Iraq, in one of the deadliest attacks against a UN mission.

“The Iraqi Prime Minister, in particular, is keen not to get dragged into this war while diplomatically and politically supporting the rights of the Palestinians,” Mr Cordone told The National from the mission’s headquarters in Baghdad's Green Zone.

“War is not a means to solve things, and there is a risk that things are only going to get worse.”

Israel's war in Gaza against Hamas and other militant groups, which broke out last October, shows no signs of ending, and hopes for a possible ceasefire have diminished as the human toll continues to rise, exceeding 40,000 Palestinians last week, according to local health authorities.

The attack led by Hamas on October 7 last year killed 1,200 in southern Israel.

The conflict has prompted Iran-aligned groups, known collectively as the Axis of Resistance, to attack Israeli and US targets from Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, since Hamas and Israel went to war.

Ain Al Asad airbase in western Iraq, home to American and foreign coalition forces, has been hit by dozens of attacks since the conflict began. Iran-backed Iraqi militias, which operate outside of Baghdad's control, have claimed responsibility for most of these.

Mr Cordone said he understands the difficulties Iraq faces but “we call on everybody to de-escalate and, equally importantly, to stop this war and work towards a political solution”.

In recent months, Baghdad and Washington have been in talks on a departure for American troops from Iraq. However, the talks have been progressing at a slower pace than demanded by the Iran-backed militias.

The groups have repeatedly said that if the Iraqi government fails to agree on the withdrawal of US troops, who lead an international training and advisory effort for the Iraqi army, the attacks will escalate, after an unofficial truce that has largely held despite sporadic incidents.

They also said that as long as the war in Gaza continues, attacks against Israel and its forces will go on.

Mr Cordone repeated UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres's call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, and that the world body seeks a political solution where Palestinians have their state, living in peace alongside the state of Israel.

His call came amid fears of further regional escalation. Israel assassinated Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in a strike on a densely populated area of Beirut on July 30, which also killed civilians. Hours later, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran in an assassination blamed on Israel. Both Iran and Hezbollah promised retaliation, raising fears of a wider war.

“We sincerely hope that this escalation will not happen,” said Mr Cordone.

UN’s long mission in Iraq

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (Unami) was established in 2003, after the US invasion of the country, to promote inclusive political dialogue and co-ordinate humanitarian and development aid. Its mandate is scheduled to end in December 2025.

Unami was first led by Mr de Mello, who was appointed as the UN special representative for Iraq for a four-month term. His team established their offices in the Canal Hotel in Baghdad.

The August 19 attack, carried out by Al Qaeda, sent shockwaves around the world. That day is now commemorated as World Humanitarian Day.

“We will commemorate the attack that killed the special representative and 21 other colleagues in 2003,” said Mr Cordone. "I'm glad the UN returned and has worked with the Iraqis since then. I'm proud of the work the colleagues have done over the last 21 years."

The mission's broad mandate was initially created to assist in developing Iraqi institutions, support political dialogue and elections, and promote human rights.

However, Mr Cordone noted that the mandate has now been limited at Baghdad's request, as the Iraqi government believes the mission is no longer necessary due to the country's significant progress towards stability. The request was approved by the 15-member Security Council on May 31.

Since the departure of former special representative and head of Unami, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, on June 1, Mr Cordone has been serving as the officer-in-charge of the mission until the new chief arrives. The next UN representative, Mohammad Al Hassan of Oman, is expected to assume the role soon.

“Every special representative has their own personality and so on, but we all operate within the framework of a mandate that we've been given by the Security Council,” said Mr Cordone.

“We look forward to Mr Al Hassan starting and leading the mission towards its conclusion at the end of next year.”

For Mr Cordone, Iraq is a vibrant political country with many parties ruling the government. He described it as “democracy at play”.

“It would be perhaps wise to look for compromises than for divisions. But again, you know, people are free to pursue their own political agendas, and as long as this is done peacefully and through the institutional framework, then this is fine.”

He affirmed that the UN considered the last round of elections in 2021 to be credible, and expressed confidence that the next one, in 2025, will be just as successful. However, Iraq will first host elections in the northern Kurdistan Region, which are expected to be held on October 20.

“We think it's absolutely critical that these elections take place, otherwise it puts into question the legitimacy of all the institutions in the Kurdistan Region," said Mr Cordone.

"So, this is our immediate focus at the moment, which is to continue to work with the Independent High Electoral Commission to make sure that those elections take place."

The election was initially scheduled for October 2022 but was delayed by disagreements, primarily between the two main parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.

As a temporary solution, they agreed to extend the Kurdistan Parliament's term for a year to allow for more discussions on issues such as amending the election law and sharing tax and oil revenue.

Mr Cordone believes the Independent Commission has “significant experience in holding elections” and said the UN will assist in all technical ways.

“There is no reason to believe that Iraq is not able to hold those elections,” he said.