A delegation representing the new Iraqi Governing Council has called for international support, during a special Security Council session on Iraq. Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged the Coalition Authority to set a timetable for the return of sovereignty to the Iraqi people.
Delegate Adnan Pachachi presented the Iraqi Council's vision for Iraq. He listed as priorities restored security, a revived economy, the establishment of a constitutional congress and a tribunal to prosecute past injustices.
Through a translator, he asked the Security Council for help, saying, "We shall be in need of full support of the Iraqi people and we have to demonstrate to the people of Iraq our credibility, our merit in leading them in this historic process."
Mr. Pachachi was joined by Governing Council members Ahmed Chalabi and Akila Hashimi.
While Secretary General Kofi Annan welcomed the creation of the Iraqi Council, he and other diplomats said the goal remains the early end of the military occupation, the formation of an internationally recognized representative government and the restoration of security.