Special report: Tension escalates in Iraq    

    UNITED NATIONS, June 13 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council agreed on Wednesday to extend the mandate of the Multinational Force in Iraq (MNF-I).

    "As requested by the government of Iraq in its June 8 letter, the members of council agreed upon the continuation of the MNF-I mandate," the council said in a statement read out by Belgian ambassador Johan Verbeke, the council's president for June.

    During a meeting on Wednesday afternoon, council members heard a briefing from the UN special envoy for Iraq, Ashraf Qazi, on the activities of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).

    Council members "expressed their appreciation for ongoing UN support and encouraged continued and robust UN assistance in support of the Iraqi people and government," Verbeke said.

    "To this end, they welcomed planning for the construction of a new UNAMI compound in Baghdad," he added.