UN to send election team to Iraq: Diplomats

The UN is close to backing an American and Iraqi request to deploy experts who would assess whether Iraq could hold elections by May for a transitional government, diplomats revealed.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan received the request during a meeting with leaders of the Iraqi Governing Council and the American led Coalition Provisional Authority. He said he supported the idea but reiterated that security for such a team was a key concern.

Last night, one UN diplomat said approval for an election team could come by the end of the week. Another agreed that was a possibility, but said the decision might not be announced until a few days later.

The team would head to Iraq soon after that, the diplomats said.

Iraqi leaders and the Coalition Provisional Authority want the UN team to investigate whether elections can be held for a transitional legislature set to take power by June 30. Iraq’s most prominent Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, has demanded direct elections to choose a provisional government.

But the coalition wants to adhere to a handover plan that calls for caucuses to choose a provisional assembly.

Mouwafak al-Rabii, a Shiite, said al-Sistani would accept up to a six-month delay in elections if UN experts conclude they cannot be held before the transfer of power.

One UN diplomat said the experts’ work would involve more than one trip. They could first assess what sort of political process is viable, and then return to make sure Iraqis and the coalition agree on the proposals.

All sides agree the June 30 deadline for a handover of power is not up for debate, the diplomat said.

The election team is separate from a four-person mission the United Nations plans to send to Baghdad within a week to assess overall security conditions for a possible large-scale, permanent return of UN staff.