World

U.N. Condemns Terrorism In Iraq

August 5, 2005 / 8:01 AM EDT / CBS/AP

Casting his first vote as U.N. ambassador, John Bolton joined the rest of the Security Council Thursday in condemning terrorism in Iraq. He then set his sights on Syria and Iran, accusing them of not doing enough to stop foreigners from joining the insurgency.

The resolution adopted by the council strongly urged a halt to the movement, financing and arming of international terrorists emphasized the importance of cooperation particularly from Iraq's neighbors, but no countries were singled out.

"Incoming Ambassador John Bolton pointed the finger directly at Syria and Iran, after the Iraq Resolution's unanimous passage," said CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk from the U.N. "and he left before the Syrian Ambassador denied the charges."

The resolution singled out "the shameless and horrific attacks" that have resulted in over 100 deaths in recent weeks. It also expressed great concern at the increasing number of attacks on foreign diplomats, some resulting in kidnapping and death.

In speeches immediately after the vote, however, Bolton and Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said Iran and Syria can and should do more to keep terrorists from crossing their borders and must keep their pledges under previous U.N. resolutions to support stability in Iraq.

"We call on all members to meet their obligations to stop the flow of terrorists, terrorist financing and weapons, and particularly on Iran and Syria," Bolton said. "We think this is very important ... to help bring stability and security to the people of Iraq and to permit the constitutional process to go forward. It's the highest priority for the people and government of Iraq and for the United States as well."

In other recent developments:

The U.S. military said Thursday that four more American service members died in Iraq, including one in Euphrates River valley where 14 Marines were killed in the worst roadside bombing targeting American forces in the Iraq war. A car bomb also hit members of a radical Shiite militia in northern Iraq as attacks nationwide killed at least 11 people Thursday.

Three U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday night in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, the U.S. military said Thursday. The statement identified them only as members of the Army's Task Force Baghdad.

The latest death brought to at least 24 the number of Marines killed over the last week along the Euphrates Valley in one of the bloodiest periods for U.S. forces in months. In all, at least 48 American service members have died in Iraq since July 24 — all but two in combat. At least 1,822 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

According to a new CBS News Poll, Americans remain divided over whether taking military action in Iraq was the right thing to do, and most, 64 percent, think it is likely that the United States will succeed in Iraq.

U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment killed five insurgents who attacked Iraqi police Wednesday in Tal Afar, the U.S. command said. No Americans were killed and injured, the command said.

Two Iraqi soldiers from the elite Wolf Brigade were killed Thursday in a car bombing near a Shiite shrine in Daquq, 20 miles south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The brigade members were accompanying a delegation from the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr back from Tal Afar, where they delivered supplies to beleaguered civilians.

In Baghdad, al-Sadr aide Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji blamed the U.S.-led coalition for failing to protect anything except the Green Zone and warned "if the government cannot confront terrorism, there are popular organizations that can," referring to armed militias such as the Mahdi Army.

Syria's U.N. Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad said his country has stopped thousands of suspected terrorists and returned them to Arab countries and he accused the United States and Britain of ignoring what it has done to fortify its border and fight terrorism.

"We have around 10,000 soldiers now guarding the Syrian-Iraqi border. We have more than 300 watchtowers on the border. What is missing, in fact, is not Syrian will to combat terrorism and to prevent any action that takes place from Syria but ...the help and assistance we requested from both Britain and the United States," he said.

Mekdad said when his country asked two years ago for technical assistance and equipment to detect people crossing the border at night, Britain said it would study the issue and the United States said no.

"We would like to ask them what have they done on the other side of the border? They have done nothing, while Syria has taken all measures and has done everything possible," he said.

By coincidence, the resolution was adopted on the day that al Qaeda's deputy leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, warned the United States and Britain of more terrorist acts and deaths unless the U.S.-led multinational force withdraws from Iraq. The warning came in a tape, excerpts of which were broadcast on the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera.

The Security Council urged all states "to cooperate actively in efforts to find and bring to justice the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these barbaric acts."

Adoption of the resolution, co-sponsored by the United States, Britain and Romania, was delayed because of Russian concerns over language referring to the political situation in Iraq, diplomats said.

The final text reaffirmed the council's "unwavering support" for Iraq's political transition and stressed that acts of terrorism must not be allowed to it, especially the drafting of a new constitution and a referendum on it.

Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Alexander Konuzin said the resolution marked the first time that the Security Council considered the situation in Iraq in the context of international terrorism.

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