The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to extend the mandate of the U.S.-led multinational forces in Iraq.
A resolution passed Tuesday, on a 15-0 vote, extends the mandate by one year, through December 31, 2006.
The measure requires a Security Council review of the mandate by June 2006, and says the council can terminate the mandate at any time if requested to do so by the Iraqi government.
In remarks to the council Tuesday, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, said the extension will give the Iraqi government time to consolidate its authority.
The Security Council established the U.S.-led coalition's mandate in June 2004, about 15 months after the invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Jafari had asked the council for an extension last month.
Some information for this report provided by AFP.
