In this file picture of July 19, Nickolay Mladenov, UN Secretary-General Special Representative for Iraq, speaks to the media after a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in Najaf. Reuters
AFP
Accusing the Islamic State in Iraq of murder, hostage-takings and kidnappings, the UN envoy in Iraq on Wednesday called on the Security Council to firmly demand an end to atrocities.
Nickolay Mladenov told the 15-member Council that it was time to take a stand to end to the violence, enforce sanctions to isolate the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIL, and bring perpetrators of war crimes to justice.
"Recruiting and using foreign fighters, engaging in murder, hostage-taking, kidnappings, gross human rights violations, all of which are reasons why the international community and the Security Council should demand, in no uncertain terms, that ISIL cease all hostilities and atrocities," he said.
The top world body must "call upon member states to cooperate in efforts to enforce existing sanctions and hold accountable the perpetrators, organizers and sponsors of these horrific terrorist acts, war crimes and crimes against humanity," said Mladenov by videoconference from Baghdad.
The UN Security Council has denounced the persecution of Christians and urged Iraqi politicians to come together to fight the al-Qaeda offshoot that now controls one third of Iraq including Mosul, the country's second city.
ISIL is on the UN list of terror groups as an al-Qaeda affiliate and is the target of international sanctions.
"The threat of ISIL is not and will not be limited to Iraq. Therefore serious engagement among various stakeholders is urgently needed," said Mladenov, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's special envoy for Iraq.
