In a rare gesture of goodwill by the United Nations Security Council, the Iraq mandate, approved unanimously, was extended another 12 months. Most mandates are extended six months. Newly-appointed U.N. special envoy to Iraq Ashraf Jehangir Qazi will be in Baghdad by Sunday, according to a U.N. spokesperson. Sources say that he is currently in Amman, Jordan with U.N. staff there. He will be bringing a small staff with him to Baghdad, but their numbers could not be confirmed. In an update on the U.N. situation in Iraq, spokeswoman Denise Cook said that there continued to be "ongoing instability," which limited the number of staffers the United Nations is allowing in Iraq. Almost one year ago, U.N. special envoy to Iraq Sergio Vieira de Mello and 21 other U.N. staffers were killed in a blast that destroyed the Baghdad U.N. headquarters.
