SULAIMANI (ESTA) — French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday France is ready to provide support which the Iraqi government needs in preparations for early elections in the country, according to Iraq’s premier office.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi received a phone call from Macron on Friday, in which he confirmed France’s approval of the U.N. resolution to send a team to monitor the Iraqi parliamentary elections, the PM office in a statement.
Both sides agreed to continue coordination in addressing the regional and international challenges, the statement read.
Macron reiterated France’s support for the Iraqi government and the country’s democratic experience in light of challenges Iraq faces,” the statement said.
He also stressed “France’s readiness to provide various aspects of support that the Iraqi government needs in preparing for early elections, and France’s support for the U.N. resolution to send observers to support work of the electoral commission”.
On May 27, the U.N. Security Council unanimously renewed UNAMI mandate for a year and authorized U.N. Special Representative Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert to provide “a strengthened, robust and visible U.N. team, with additional staff, in advance of Iraq’s forthcoming election, to monitor Iraq’s election day with as broad a geographic coverage as possible”,
According to the resolution, UNAMI should “engage, encourage, and coordinate with, and provide, as appropriate, logistical and security support to international and regional third-party observers invited by the government of Iraq.”
