The Security Council approved a resolution Thursday welcoming the Iraqi Governing Council and created a mission to oversee U.N. attempts to help rebuild the country and establish a democratic government.
The vote was 14-0 with Syria abstaining because of its opposition to any endorsement of the 25-member Iraqi council, which was installed by the United States.
"This resolution helps pave the way towards the peace, stability and democracy that the long afflicted Iraqi people so richly deserve," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said after the vote. "It also sends a clear signal to those who oppose the political transformation under way in Iraq that they are out of step with world opinion."
The resolution welcomes the Iraqi council "as an important step towards the formation by the people of Iraq of an internationally recognized, representative government" with sovereignty in Iraq.
According to the AP, the resolution also establishes the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq to provide structure for the U.N.'s operations in the country.
Meanwhile, an attack on a British army ambulance in Basra, southern Iraq, killed one soldier and injured two others, it was reported Thursday.
The British Ministry of Defense confirmed that troops were involved in an explosives incident on the outskirts of Basra. (Albawaba.com)
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