Iraq election delay sought as violence spirals

Leading Iraqi politicians have called for a six-month delay in the January 30 election because of the spiralling violence as US forces uncovered more bodies in the northern city of Mosul, apparent victims of an intimidation campaign by insurgents against Iraq’s fledgling security forces.

Asked about their demand for the election to be postponed, US President George Bush, at his holiday home in Texas, said yesterday: “The Iraqi Election Commission has scheduled elections in January, and I would hope they’d go forward in January.”