Baghdad-27 February 2006 - The Special
Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General in Iraq Mr. Ashraf Qazi, confirmed
on Monday, UN / UNESCO support to the Iraqi initiative to rebuild the Shrine
of Imam Ali Al-Hadi and other damaged religious sites.
Mr.Qazi, accompanied by his Deputy
for Humanitarian Reconstruction and Development, Mr. Staffan de Mistura,
participated in a donor coordination meeting chaired by the Iraqi Minister
of Planning Dr. Barham Saleh. Mr. Qazi explained that the UN, through its
Iraq trust fund and UNESCO's technical expertise, is ready to assist in
rebuilding the damaged structures.
The meeting was attended by the head of the Shi'a Waqf Shaikh Saleh El-Haidary and head of the Sunni Waqf Shaikh Ahmad Al-Samarrai, as well as representatives from Austria, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United States and the World Bank.
The heads of the Shi'a and Sunni Waqfs welcomed the support of the international community and indicated that the initiative will also cover rehabilitation of the damaged churches.
SRSG Qazi had issued a statement to the Iraqi people on Saturday, 25 February 2006, pledging UN commitment to help reconstruct the damaged structures, and calling for calm and unity among Iraqis.