United Nations, Ramadan 16, 1434, Jul 25, 2013, SPA - The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday extended the mandate of the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) until July 31, 2014 to advise and support the country on the path to stability and development. The mandate renewal comes amid an upsurge in violence and terrorist acts that have targeted mainly civilians and civilian infrastructure in Iraq, resulting in high levels of casualties not seen since 2008, according to the latest report from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. "The scale of renewed violence in Iraq during the reporting period is alarming. I again urge political leaders from all sides to intensify their efforts to resolve the continuing political stalemate in accordance with the constitution, through serious dialogue and with a spirit of compromise, so that no space is left to those who seek to exploit the situation through violence and terror," Ban Ki-moon wrote. --SPA 11:04 LOCAL TIME 08:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/1132167