WAR: Iraq Sets Election Date For January 30 Despite Fresh Violence UPDATE: Iran and Britain Endorse, page 1

Despite an escalating pattern of seemingly endless violence, the Iraqi government has set January 30th as the first post Saddam election. The further stated that voting would take place throughout the country , Sunni clerics have called for a boycott of the elections. Experts say further violence or a Sunni Arab boycott could undermine the legitimacy of the elections.

UPDATE: 11/23/04 Iran and Britain Endorse Elections
Stating that the January 30th elections were the best hope for Iraq, Britain and Iran have voiced their support for the process. The announcement came after a face to face meeting between British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi.

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) - Britain and Iran jointly voiced their support for Iraqi elections scheduled for January 30, saying they were the best hope for stability in the war-torn country.

"We both agreed that the elections on time offer the best opportunity there is to produce stability and effective reconstruction within Iraq," British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told journalists in Egypt.

He was speaking after a one-to-one meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi, who also said his country backed the elections "on time".
Their talks were held on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Endorsement[/u rl]

story.news.yahoo.com
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi authorities set Jan. 30 as the date for the nation's first election since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and pledged that voting would take place throughout the country despite rising violence and calls by Sunni clerics for a boycot

Farid Ayar, spokesman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, said voting would push ahead even in areas still wracked by violence � including Fallujah, Mosul and other parts of the volatile Sunni Triangle.

The vote for the 275-member National Assembly is seen as a major step toward building democracy after years of Saddam's tyranny.

But the violence, which has escalated this month with the U.S.-led offensive against Fallujah, has raised fears voting will be nearly impossible in insurgency-torn regions � or that Sunni Arabs, angry at the U.S.-Iraqi crackdown, will reject the election.

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With all respect to the Sunni population, if you do not vote then you will have to deal with a #e majority. This is their chance to elect representatives that will look out for their needs. Considering that the majority of the insurgency in coming from the �Sunni Triangle� I don�t think anybody in the Iraqi administration is going to shed a tear if they boycott the election process. Im sorry, if they do not vote, they do not vote. End of story. The elections should be considered just as legit if they did. The raid into Fallujah was just the beginning of many operation I think. I fully expect the U.S. and Iraqi forces to become more and more aggressive in hunting down the insurgents.

[edit on 11/23/04 by FredT]

[edit on 11/23/04 by FredT]

[edit on 11/23/04 by FredT]