Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on International Compact with Iraq

In accordance with the United Nations mandate under Security Council Resolution 1546 to assist in the reconstruction and recovery of Iraq, the Secretary-General will convene a meeting at U.N. headquarters this Friday, 16 March, to bring the Government of Iraq and the international community together to review the substantive progress made in the development of the International Compact with Iraq (ICI). His Excellency, Mr. Adel Abdul Mahdi, Vice-President of Iraq, will lead Iraq's delegation and brief participants. All Member States and representatives of multilateral institutions have been invited to attend.

Together with the Government of Iraq, the United Nations continues to serve as co-chair of the ICI. The Secretary-General recently appointed Ibrahim Gambari to be his Special Adviser for the International Compact. He will serve as UN co-chair.

The Secretary-General looks forward to the participation of the broader international community at Friday's meeting to help put Iraq on a credible path towards sustainable development and economic prosperity.