Powell vows to support U.N. mission

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- On the first anniversary of the bombing of United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, the United States vowed Thursday to continue its support of the mission.

"The United States remains steadfast in its support for the United Nations Mission in Iraq," Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a statement issued in Washington. "We will continue to work side by side as partners to help build a free and peaceful Iraq."

Remembering the former U.N. representative to Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who was killed in a blast in Baghdad on Aug. 19 last year, Powell said Sergio and his other colleagues who died with him would also have wanted the United Nations to continue its mission.

"This vicious attack cannot break the will of ... all of us who are committed to helping the people of Iraq build a better future," said Powell.

He noted that the Secretary-General's special representative, Jehangir Qazi, is now in Iraq and supporting the Interim Iraqi government as it prepares for democratic elections.