Tom Kitt (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The two most critical lessons seem to be that the recovery and reconstruction process has to be owned by the population concerned and that high levels of international engagement need to be sustained for many years. We know from our own experience in Northern Ireland how difficult it is to achieve lasting peace where deep divisions and suspicions exist. What is required is motivation and support rather than prescription.

Iraq has access to vast wealth in the form of oil reserves to fund reconstruction. Financial resources alone are not sufficient. The way in which the financial resources are translated into actions and programmes will be the key to the outcome of recovery efforts. Successful reconstruction will necessitate building the capacity of local institutions and systems, facilitating good governance and assistance in the key areas of basic needs and livelihood support. The process must be managed carefully in order to balance the understandable desire to achieve early results with the capacity of any new administration system to act in a productive and accountable manner.

It is vital that the United Nations should play a central role in any recovery process. This issue was discussed by the Taoiseach in his meeting with President Bush in Hillsborough last April. The Taoiseach has also had discussions on this matter with the UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The Government believes, as do our partners in the European Union, that the United Nations should be at the heart of the reconstruction process. It has the experience, capacity and perceived impartiality to carry this objective forward. The recent achievements of the United Nations in post-conflict situations as diverse as East Timor and Afghanistan are a good indication of its capacity to deliver what is required today in Iraq.

I warmly welcome the appointment of Mr. Sergio Viero de Mello as the new UN special representative for Iraq. I have met him on a number of occasions recently and the House will be aware of his good work following the conflict in East Timor. His experience will be a valuable asset to the recovery and reconstruction process. Moving beyond purely humanitarian interventions, the United Nations can assume a significant role in the broader task of helping Iraqis to forge new democratic institutions.