The top UN envoy to Iraq on Thursday voiced confidence at the "moderately bright" future of the Middle East country, saying it has the potential to not only overcome its challenges but flourish.
"The future looks moderately bright and there is growing hope," Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council in his final briefing as the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special representative for Iraq and head of the UN Assistance Mission there (UNAMI).
"If the Iraqis can avoid or defuse tensions, if they are capable of seeing changes in their daily lives through sustainable security gains, delivery of basic services and more political inclusiveness, all of which are realistic goals, then Iraq will flourish," he said.
He noted that the Iraqi people had shown remarkable resilience, as they were now more than ever able to determine the course of events in their country.
Even the isolated spikes of violent attacks against innocent civilians were not capable of destabilizing the country, he said, stressing that Iraqis should now focus on forcing a political consensus.
De Mistura said that 2009 is a "defining period" as Iraq looks to possible future electoral events, including national elections, with the UN continuing to provide support for capacity building.
In his recent report on Iraq, Ban stated that the successful and mostly peaceful polls earlier this year and an agreement on a new speaker of Parliament are among the "encouraging signs of progress" Iraq has witnessed in recent months.
At the same time, Ban warned that many obstacles remain, with national reconciliation still the main priority for the country.