21/5/2004
EU 'Abhorred' By Abu Ghraib Practices, UN Urges For Engagement With Iraqi Caretaker Government

In a joint statement released on 17 May, EU foreign affairs ministers have condemned the abuses perpetrated on Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison controlled by US forces.

"The Council expressed its abhorrence at recent evidence of the mistreatment of prisoners in Iraqi prisons" and "condemned any instances of abuse and degradation of prisoners in Iraq, which are contrary to international law, including the Geneva conventions," the statement reads.

The ministers welcomed the commitment by the relevant governments to bring to justice any individuals responsible for such acts involving the abuse of Iraqi detainees, and their commitment to rectify any failure to adhere to international humanitarian law.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said it was "in the hands of the US authorities to clear everything up without reserve and call people to account".

Early this month, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the United States and the United Kingdom must "take a strong and firm stand to ensure that those kinds of activities are not repeated." His Special Adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, discussed the the situation of Iraqi detainees in Abu Ghraib and other prisons with the Baghdad envoy of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC) at the beginning of this week.

The UN envoy said he was concerned about the situation of the detainees and had raised these issues publicly, both in Baghdad and in his report to the Security Council last month.

With ICRC representative Pierre Grassmann, Mr. Brahimi spoke about due process rights, the whereabouts of the detainees and the conditions of their detention. He urged the ICRC to engage with the new Iraqi caretaker government to find solutions to all the outstanding problems regarding the detainees.

Mr. Brahimi also met with representatives of the Turkmen community as he continued to gather the views of hundreds of Iraqis regarding the composition of the caretaker government, the idea of holding a national conference and the process for elections scheduled for the end of January.

On 30 June 2004, the transitional government is to take over sovereignty from the Coalition Provisional Authority. Despite the ongoing violence, the international community has set its hope on a successful transfer. EU foreign ministers said they're "looking forward to the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq and to future national elections".

Mr. Brahimi said he "trusts there is a good basis for consensus on a government that will effectively serve the interests of the Iraqi people for the forthcoming period of transition." He will continue this process of broad consultation until consensus is achieved on the composition, structure and powers of the interim government.