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Mon, Jun 16, 2003 UNITED NATIONS - The new British envoy to Iraq said Monday he wants to put the country back in the control of the Iraqi people and focus on improving their lives and promoting reconciliation through justice. Jeremy Greenstock, who has been Britain's U.N. ambassador since 1998, said the Security Council should also deal with helping bring to justice those responsible for genocide, war, crimes or crimes against humanity. "This should start with the people of Iraq and what they want by way of justice for their own victimization by the previous regime," he said after London announced his new posting Monday. "We should discuss whether the international community can help Iraq with that." The United Nations has established courts to try those responsible for the most heinous crimes in former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and it created a joint tribunal with the government in Sierra Leone. The world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, the International Criminal Court, is expected to start operating shortly in The Hague , Netherlands. "But as we've seen from South Africa, from Sierra Leone, and in some other places, the people who suffered want to take things into their own hands and that's the best form of reconciliation," Greenstock said. "But they want help from the international community. They often need funding and resources." Greenstock said he was "very pleased" that Prime Minister Tony Blair asked him "to try and help bring Iraq back to the control of the Iraqi people and to improve the circumstances on the ground." A fluent Arabic speaker, Greenstock will serve under Iraq's American administrator, L. Paul Bremer, from mid-September through the winter. He will replace Britain's former Egypt ambassador, John Sawers, as special representative to Baghdad. "We are making a lot of progress actually ... but life is still quite difficult for Iraqis," Greenstock said. U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham and Greenstock briefed the council on the U.S. and British occupation of Iraq. Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, said the coalition is "nearing completion of the first phase," including restoration of utilities, basic services and law and order. "Certainly there's more to do with the security situation, but it clearly is improving," he said. "Our next goal is to create jobs and get the economy turned around." _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk