IRAQ: UN ADVISOR SAYS FREE ELECTIONS MUST BE CREDIBLE WHILST SHI'ITE MUSLIMS WANT ELECTIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Record ID: 646660

  • Title: IRAQ: UN ADVISOR SAYS FREE ELECTIONS MUST BE CREDIBLE WHILST SHI'ITE MUSLIMS WANT ELECTIONS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
  • Date: 13th February 2004
  • Summary: (W3) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 13, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV U.S. BODYGUARD WALKING IN FRONT OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL ADVISOR LAKHDAR BRAHIMI LEAVING MEETING WITH MEMBERS OF IRAQ GOVERNING COUNCIL 0.05 2. SCU SOUNDBITE (English) UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL ADVISOR LAKHDAR BRAHIMI SAYING: "I think we have agreed that the timing should be not prisoner to its deadlines. We need to organise elections as early as possible, but not earlier than possible." 0.24 3. SMV OF MEMBER OF IRAQI GOVERNING COUNCIL 0.25 5. VARIOUS OF BRAHIMI GETTING INTO VEHICLE AND CONVOY DEPARTING 0.44 (W5) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 13, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 6. WIDE OF BRAHIMI NEWS CONFERENCE 0.50 7. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, SENIOR ADVISER TO U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL KOFI ANNAN SAYING: "The demand of the Iraqi street for elections is a legitimate request but the Iraqi street must know that elections are a very complicated process." 1.44 8. WIDE OF REPORTERS AT NEWS CONFERENCE 1.48 9. SCU SOUNDBITE (English) LAKHDAR BRAHIMI, SENIOR ADVISER TO KOFI ANNAN, SAYING: "The most important factor before we start talking about dates for an election, is the legal framework. There are many questions which people don't think of: Who do you want to elect? What kind of electoral system do you want? What kind of administrative system do you have? And how are the district boundaries settled? Do you want to have a British system? What kind of system do you want?" 2.46 10. SLV BRAHIMI LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE 3.01 (W5) KERBALA, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 13, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 11. WIDE OF IMAM HUSSEIN SHRINE IN KERBALA 3.07 12. WIDE OF WORSHIPPERS OUTSIDE SHRINE 3.13 13. CLOSE-UP OF MINARETS 3.19 14. WIDE OF IMAM ABDEL MAHDI KERBALAI DELIVERING SERMON 3.24 15. WIDE OF WORSHIPPERS 3.30 16. CLOSE-UP OF FACES 3.36 17. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IMAM ABDEL MAHDI KERBALAI SAYING: "What the head of the (U.N.) team has mentioned, that the U.N. backs general elections and that they should be well prepared, represents a victory for the oppressed people". 3.58 18. CLOSE OF WORSHIPPERS 4.07 19. VARIOUS OF WORSHIPPERS PRAYING (2 SHOTS) 4.22 (W5) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FEBRUARY 13, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 20. WIDE OF BAGHDAD'S UM AL-MAKEER MOSQUE WITH PEOPLE ARRIVING 4.26 21. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AHMED AL-SAMARA'I, IMAM, SAYING: "We have to end the (U.S.) occupation first because elections will be marred and will never be neutral." 4.36 22. VARIOUS OF WORSHIPPERS PRAYING 4.56 23. SLV WORSHIPPERS LEAVING MOSQUE 5.00 22. WORSHIPPERS ENTERING MOSQUE 28. WORSHIPPERS LEAVING MOSQUE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 28th February 2004 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KERBALA AND BAGHDAD, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA2XONVXCNAX4LVE2IB7GGJ2PE0
  • Story Text: Lakhdar Brahimi has said that first free elections
    in Iraq must be credible as well as timely.




    The U.N. envoy sent to Iraq to see if early
    elections were feasible said on Friday (February 13)
    credibility was more important than timing.

    The United Nations is trying to resolve a dispute
    between Iraq's majority Shi'ites, who want elections before
    the transfer, and Washington which says there is not enough
    time to organise them.

    "The demand of the Iraqi street for elections is a
    legitimate request but the Iraqi street must know that
    elections are a very complicated process," Lakhdar Brahimi,
    an adviser to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, he told a
    news conference in Baghdad.

    Earlier on Friday he said that elections must be held
    as soon as possible, but not before they were properly
    organised.

    "I think we have agreed that the timing should be not
    prisoner to its deadlines. We need to organise elections as
    early as possible, but not earlier than possible," Brahimi
    said after visiting members of the Iraqi Governing Council.

    Annan is expected to give his verdict on the findings
    of Brahimi's team within the next week to ten days.

    Calls for early elections have been led by Iraq's top
    Shi'ite cleric in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

    Brahimi met Sistani on Thursday and said they both
    agreed thorough preparations were essential to credible
    elections. It was not clear if that agreement stretched to
    delaying polls.

    How Sistani reacts to the U.N. advice to delay polls
    until after June 30 will dictate how the Shi'ite population
    react.

    At Friday prayers, one of Sistani's tops clerics said
    that the U.N. acknowledgement for general elections is a
    victory for the Iraqi people.

    Imam Abdel Mahdi Kerbali told worshippers in Kerbala at
    prayers that "what the head of the (U.N.) team has
    mentioned, that the U.N. backs general elections and that
    they should be well prepared, represents a victory for the
    oppressed people".

    In Baghdad, Ahmed al-Samara'i, imam at the Um al-Makeer
    mosque, said elections under the current U.S. occupation
    cannnot be neutral.

    "We have to end the (U.S.) occupation first because
    elections will be marred and will never be neutral", imam
    al-Samara'i told worshippers.

    The United States had proposed that regional caucuses
    pick a transitional government for Iraq, which would rule
    until 2005.

    But diplomats say U.N. officials and U.S. envoys in
    Baghdad think the idea is too unpopular and will be
    scrapped.

    Brahimi said technical preparations and political
    consensus were essential for a credible election.

    "The most important factor before we start talking
    about dates for an election, is the legal framework. There
    are many questions which people don't think of: Who do you
    want to elect? What kind of electoral system do you want?
    What kind of administrative system do you have? And how are
    the district boundaries settled? Do you want to have a
    British system? What kind of system do you want?"
    Security is another factor. Two suicide bombs killed
    at least 100 Iraqis this week, mostly civilians, and
    insurgents regularly attack U.S. soldiers or anyone they
    see as cooperating with them.


    os/


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