Iraqi Dinar Discussion Board

[ema-266]

UN urges Iraqis to respect certified poll results

April 1st

UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council urged Iraq’s political parties Wednesday to respect results of the country’s general elections and called on their leaders to refrain from inflammatory actions.

A non-binding statement issued by Gabon’s UN envoy Emmanuel Issoze-Ngondet on behalf of the 15-member council urged the parties “to respect the certified election results and the choices of the Iraqi people.”

Council members also called on Iraq’s political leaders “to avoid inflammatory rhetoric and actions,” according to Issoze-Ngondet, who chairs the council this month.

The members congratulated the Iraqi people and government on the successful March 7 polls and said they looked forward to the certification by the Supreme Court of the results announced last week.

Little progress has been made in forming a coalition government in the more than three weeks since the election, while negotiations between its main blocs have revealed key differences between the parties.

Hopes for rapid results have dimmed as ex-premier Iyad Allawi’s slim lead — his bloc won 91 parliamentary seats, two more than Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s — has failed to give him a commanding negotiating position.

Council members said they took note of the findings of international and independent Iraqi observers “who affirmed their confidence in the overall integrity of the election.”

They also looked forward to the formation of the new government in a spirit of cooperation and respect for national unity.

Last week, UN special representative to Iraq Ad Melkert described the polls as “credible” after the country’s Independent High Electoral Commission said there was no evidence of systematic or widespread fraud in the counting of ballots.

On Tuesday, Allawi complained that Tehran was “interfering” in the political process to try to block his path by holding talks with all of Iraq’s major political groups except his secular Iraqiya bloc.

On Wednesday Iran denied it was meddling in Iraqi politics although Tehran stood ready to help


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/displayarticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/April/middleeast_April7.xml§ion=middleeast&col=