UN envoy to Iraq comments in Spanish and Portuguese on his mission

(27 May 2003)

1. Wide of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and UN Special Representative for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, arriving at press conference
2. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative for Iraq:
"Our main objective is assure that the Iraqi people have their future and destiny as a priority."
3. Wide shot of de Mello
4. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative for Iraq:
"As the UN human rights chief, what is most important is making sure that these new institutions are based on human rights for the Iraqi people, which have been neglected for more than 24 years."
5. Cutaway of press
6. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Sergio Vieira de Mello, UN Special Representative for Iraq:
"We have received total support by our colleagues of the International Atomic Energy Agency, a highly specialised group of people that have done work in Somalia, a group of people with whom we don't directly compete."
7. Wide shot of de Mello

STORYLINE:

Sergio Vieira de Mello, the new UN envoy to Iraq, said on Tuesday he will hit the ground running next week with a top priority of consulting Iraqi leaders and opinion makers to ensure that "the interests of the Iraqi people come first" in rebuilding their country.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced the appointment at a news conference and said Vieira de Mello's experience in running post-conflict UN operations in Kosovo and East Timor, and his good reputation made him the perfect choice.

Vieira de Mello will coordinate UN humanitarian and reconstruction efforts and work with the US-led coalition and the Iraqi people to help build a democratic government in Iraq.

He is also charged with promoting legal and judicial reforms and human rights and assisting in building a civilian police force.

The 55-year-old diplomatic troubleshooter from Brazil said a priority was to "establish good working relations" with the US and British officials and other coalition members.

Asked whether he worried that having just four months and being a lame duck would hurt his effectiveness, Vieira de Mello said he wasn't a lame duck during his two-month stint running Kosovo.

Vieira de Mello, who made a name for himself in hotspots from Bangladesh to Lebanon and Cambodia, was the top choice of the US, which lobbied quietly for his selection.

Vieira de Mello said he will arrive in Baghdad next Monday with a small team.

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