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IRAQ WARS
Ban welcomes Iraqi elections decisions

Iraqi president to visit France
Paris (AFP) Nov 9, 2009 - Iraq's President Jalal Talabani will make his first state visit to France next week, the French foreign ministry announced Monday, in the latest sign of warming ties between Paris and Baghdad. Talabani, Iraq's first president from its Kurdish minority, has already made two official trips to France since taking office in 2005, but this will be his first full state occasion with all the pomp that implies. The 75-year-old leader will be accompanied by his wife Hero Ibrahim Ahmad and spend three days in France on November 16-19, meeting President Nicolas Sarkozy and visiting both houses of the French parliament.

Under former president Jacques Chirac, France opposed the decision by the United States and Britain to invade Iraq to overthrow dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003, and relations have at times been tense with the new Iraqi leadership. But since Sarkozy took power in 2007 there have been several exchanges of official visits between the two capitals as France attempted to rebuild what was once a strong commercial relationship with Iraq. Baghdad has already ordered 25 French-built military helicopters and the French oil giant Total hopes to sign major new contracts to explore and drill Iraq's currently underdeveloped oil wealth.
by Staff Writers
 United Nations (AFP) Nov 8, 2009
 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday welcomed approval by Iraqi lawmakers of amendments to electoral laws, saying the move meant national parliamentary polls could be held in January as scheduled.

In a statement issued by his spokesperson, Ban said "this decision now paves the way for preparations for national elections to be held in January.

"These elections will be a crucial opportunity to advance national reconciliation and contribute to Iraq's political progress," the secretary-general added.

He appealed to all political blocs and their leaders to demonstrate "true statesmanship during the election campaign and participate in a spirit of national unity."

The election, due to be held in early 2010, is viewed as crucial to consolidating the war-torn nation's fledgling democracy ahead of a withdrawal of US combat troops by August and a complete pullout by the end of 2011.

The vote is set for January 16 but the date has been thrown into doubt because of delays and wrangling over the system to be used in what will be the second national poll since the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Ban reaffirmed the commitment of the United Nations to support Iraq's electoral commission tasked with organizing the ballot.

He also encouraged the Iraqi people "to participate in a process that will shape their country's future.'

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IRAQ WARS
Obama hails Iraq's approval of 2010 election law
 Baghdad (AFP) Nov 8, 2009
 Iraq's fractious MPs on Sunday finally approved a law to govern the country's general election in early 2010, a move hailed by US President Barack Obama as an important step towards a lasting peace. The decision paves the way towards finalising a date for the second national vote since the American-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein from power in 2003, a poll seen as crucial to ensuring ... read more






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