UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence

New Baghdad compound and mediation aid also on the table
UN Offers to Boost Iraq Presence
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, left, waves to the crowd during a visit to the slum of Cite Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Thursday, Aug. 2, 2007. Ban Ki-moon is for first time in Haiti to observe a U.N. force that is transitioning slow from a military to a policing role. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)   (Associated Press)

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon has offered to increase personnel in Iraq for the first time in more than 3 years and is seeking $130 million to build a reinforced compound in Baghdad for the growing UN mission. Ban faces a backlash from member states afraid of inheriting a US-created disaster, while the Iraqi government is concerned that UN interference will dilute its power.

The White House in particular wants help resolving sectarian disputes. "The UN can reach out to many groups and some groups that do not want to talk to other external players," said  American UN Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. The US and Britain are pushing for a Security Council resolution tomorrow calling for reconciliation talks and international support for Iraq. (More Iraq stories.)

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