The UN Security Council extended on Thursday the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) until July 31, 2011.
The 15-member Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1936, which keeps the current mandate unchanged but demands more security for UN personnel in light of the upcoming withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
"The Security Council... expresses its intention to review the mandate of UNAMI in 12 months or sooner, if requested by the Government of Iraq," the resolution said.
The council also urged Iraqi leaders to expedite forming a new coalition government "that represents the will and sovereignty of the Iraqi people and their hope for a strong, independent, unified and democratic Iraq."
The security situation has deteriorated in Iraq since March parliamentary elections, which brought the country into a political deadlock.
The UNAMI was established in August 2003 as a follow-through mission in the wake of the Oil-for-Food program handover. Its main goal is to assist the Iraqi government in rebuilding and developing the country ravaged by war and continuing extremist violence.
The mission currently has 1,025 employees, including 221 military advisers and 11 military observers.
UNITED NATIONS, August 6 (RIA Novosti)
