Statement attributable to the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on Iraq

The Secretary-General congratulates Mr. Jalal Talabani, as well as Sheikh Ghazi Al-Yawar and Mr. Adil Abdul Mahdi, on their election today by the Transitional National Assembly of Iraq as President and Vice-Presidents of Iraq. The Secretary-General welcomes the commitment of Iraq's new leadership to working towards national unity through peaceful democratic means. He hopes that the formation of Iraq's Transitional Government will be completed quickly.

In accordance with its mandate pursuant to Security Council resolution 1546, the United Nations stands ready to support the reconstruction of Iraq, including by providing any needed assistance to its constitution-making process. To that end, the Secretary-General and his Special Representative, Mr. Ashraf Qazi, look forward to working with Iraq's newly-elected leaders and other representatives, with a view to further promoting dialogue and national reconciliation.