The Secretary-General met today with H.E. Mr. Hoshyar Zebari, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq.

The Secretary-General briefed the Minister on the latest peace efforts for Syria, following last night’s Security Council resolution.  He thanked Iraq for its generous hospitality to Syrian refugees.

The Secretary-General and Minister both underlined the need for additional resources to be made available to assist Iraq to meet the humanitarian needs related to the refugees.

The Secretary-General expressed concern at the political crisis and the deteriorating security situation in Iraq and called again on Iraqi leaders to engage in serious dialogue and speed up reconciliation.

The Secretary-General urged the Government of Iraq to finalize the investigation into the tragic events which occurred on 1 September in Camp New Iraq, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.  He noted the urgent need for relocating the residents outside Iraq.