Annan opposes early elections in Iraq before power transfer

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, February 20, 2004

Annan opposes early elections in Iraq before power transfer

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Thursday that he thinks early elections in Iraq before the transfer of powers is not feasible.

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UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said here Thursday that he thinks early elections in Iraq before the transfer of powers is not feasible.

"We shared with them that... the elections can not be held before end of June," Annan told reporters after meeting with his senior envoy, Lakhdar Brahimi, and 45 interested nations, or the Friends of Iraq.

He noted that the June 30 date for hand-over must be respected and "we need to find a mechanism to create the caretaker government."

But Annan refused to elaborate on his idea of the power sharing mechanism, which UN diplomats said will be finalized next week after the UN chief and his Iraqi advisor will return from a trip to Japan.

The mechanism of choosing a caretaker government that would assume sovereignty could be a challenge to the US proposed caucus system, diplomats said.

According to diplomats attending Thursday's closed meeting, the UN chief holds strong belief that direct elections would be the best, and the only way to create a widely recognized government in Iraq.

In their efforts to discourage early elections, Annan and Brahimi stressed that improved security situation, careful arrangement and a little patience are indispensable for a successful election.

The original US caucus plan, announced on Nov. 15, 2003, called for a system in Iraq's 18 provinces to select members of an assembly, who would in turn form a provisional government. Elections for a permanent government would then have been held in late 2005.

The UN chief met on Jan. 19 with representatives from the US-led coalition and the Governing Council of Iraq. At the request of the US overseer in Baghdad and the ruling Iraqi council, Annan sent Brahimi to Baghdad to find out feasibility of early elections before hand-over, as well as alternative transferring plan to the US proposed caucus system.

A June 30 deadline has been set to establish a provisional government of Iraq, but the overseers and rulers of Iraq would not allow a direct nationwide election for the Iraqi government before their caucus system is in effect.

Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the country's most prominent Shiite leader, has demanded direct elections for the legislature to determine whether coalition troops stay in Iraq beyond the transfer of power.

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