The UN Security Council extended on Tuesday the mandate of US-led foreign forces in Iraq for one year.

In a resolution adopted unanimously by council members, the council extended the mandate of the 160,000-strong multinational force (MNF) by the end of 2008 at the request of the Iraqi government.

It also noted that the mandate of the MNF shall be reviewed at the request of the Iraqi government or no later than June 15, 2008, and can be terminated earlier if desired by the Iraqi government.

In his letter to the council asking for a mandate extension, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki noted that the MNF had "made an important and significant contribution to efforts to establish security and the rule of law" in the violence-wracked nation, and had helped strengthen the capacity of the national army and security forces.

He said that Iraqi forces have now taken over the MNF's security functions in eight provinces and that he expected that this would be the last time the government would be asking the council for a mandate renewal of the MNF.

"It is our intention that our national forces will continue to take over those security functions until all 18 provinces are under the full security control of our troops in 2008," he wrote.

In a separate letter to the council, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pledged that the MNF was ready to perform the tasks required of it and also committed to acting consistently with their obligations and rights under international law, including the law of armed conflict.

"In the coming year, the MNF is ready to continue to participate in the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq, within the context of the growth in the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces and Iraq's successes in security, politics, and the economy," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2007)