Iraq's interim government is determined to hold the general elections on Jan. 30 as scheduled, the government's spokesman said on Saturday.

"The Iraqi government is determined to hold the elections on time, God willing," spokesman Thaer al-Naqib told reporters at a press conference in Baghdad.

In a statement issued on Friday, 17 political parties, including Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's, had demanded elections be delayed for six months because of what they said "insecurity and terrorist acts as well as insufficient preparations at the administrative, technical and political levels."

But Naqib said, "The prime minister is not convinced that a delay to this election would increase participation." "The prime minister deeply understands the importance of this opinion" to delay the ballot, "but he also understands the insistence of other political parties and national figures for holding elections on time," he added.

Iraqi electoral body denies receiving request of delaying elections

Iraq's Electoral Commission denied Saturday receiving any official request from any party about delaying Jan. 30 elections in the country.

"Some members of the commission have heard from the media about the statement that issued by representatives of a number of political parties and individuals, who called for delaying elections for six months," the commission's spokesman Fareed Ayar told Xinhua.

"If the commission received such a demand officially, the matter could not be discussed so fast... It needs contacts with the concerned parties and to know ideas from others," he added. "What said to be mentioned in the statement of the 17 parties that political, technical and administrative preparations are not ready is relating to the parties and not to the commission," Ayar said.

He, meanwhile, confirmed that the body is ready to hold elections in its time.

Earlier On Saturday, the Dubai-based al-Arabiyah television reported that Iraq's head of electoral commission, Abdel Husseinal-Hindawi has ruled out a delay of the Jan. 30 elections.

In a statement issued on Friday, 17 political parties, including Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's, had demanded elections to be delayed for six months because of what they said "insecurity and terrorist acts as well as insufficient preparations at the administrative, technical and political levels."

For his part, US Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte, who paid a surprise visit Saturday to the battle-torn city of Fallujah, said the security situation should not prevent elections from being held as scheduled on Jan. 30.

"We support the implementation of the transitional law in Iraq," Negroponte said, a day after 10 leading Iraqi political parties requested the Jan. 30 elections be postponed by six months due to security concerns.

Source: Xinhua