UN ‘cannot observe’ Iraqi elections

[truthpusher]

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ef3b58b4-6b1d-11d9-9357-00000e2511c8.html

UN ‘cannot observe’ Iraqi elections

By Mark Turner in New York and Roula Khalaf in London

Published: January 20 2005 20:17 | Last updated: January 20 2005 20:17

United Nations diplomats are warning that Iraq's first democratic election will be held without wide-scale international monitoring.

The UN says it cannot observe the January 30 poll because it played a role in setting up the elections, and no other international organisation has stepped in to offer assistance.

The absence of international monitoring could undermine confidence in the results of elections that are already threatened by widespread voter intimidation and the boycott of Sunni Arab parties.

(snip)

“Monitoring is a big problem. There won't be any international observation mechanism,” said one UN diplomat. “The UN is not willing. No one is willing. No one wants to send their people there.”

more:

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ef3b58b4-6b1d-11d9-9357-00000e2511c8.html

[Be Brave]

1. Those elections are gonna be a big joke. n/t

[LisaL]

12. More likely one big blood bath.

[klyon]

20. that doesn't matter, all we have to do is say they were great

and they will be

KL

[Born Free]

23. No one believes these so called "elections" are legitimate

Everyone knows this is a setup, the people of Iraq will not even be given the choice, it will be made outside of Iraq but touted as some great movement toward democracy, and the "true believers" those individuals that believe any propaganda the white house puts out will be wetting their panties

[pk_du]

2. I nominate the Bush twins ...they're doing nothing of value here

[Matilda]

5. And Australia can send Lord Downer of Baghdad.

aka Alexander Downer, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and well-known
Howard sycophant and Bush toady.

He believes we are bring peace and democracy to Iraq - let him put
his money where his mouth is.

Edit: typo

[sasquatch]

9. And Mark Thatcher too

[Mika]

3. Mission accomplished

In other words, a perfect bushco election.

[Spazito]

4. Not a surprise...

This sentence says it all, imo:

"No one wants to send their people there."

Why would any country send their citizens to die so bush can have his puppet installed.

[ClintonTyree]

6. Who wants to get killed...............

so they can check on the progress of bush's fool hearty attempt at installing Democracy in a country that never asked for it?

It will be a sham election used only to justify bush's ridiculous vision of Democracy spreading like wildfire in the Mid-East. Then everything will quiet down for a while, and the religious fundamentalists will seize power and we'll be worse off than before. Thanks king george, you asshole.

[Inland]

7. Why not ask SPW to step in and observe?

Suicidal Poll Watchers.

[beam me up scottie]

8. Send condi, rumsferatu, rovie, cheney and*

after all, didn't he say he was "looking forward to it"

[Benhurst]

10. Just wait and see -- they're going to be as crooked as

an American election.

[VegasWolf]

11. Allawi wins in a landslide. Gee, you could have knocked me over

with a feather.

[E-Z-B]

22. Exactly.

This election will be as credible as when Saddam won 100% of the vote before the "liberation".

[Fleshdancer]

13. Philosophical question of the day:

if an election is held in a war torn country and no one is there to witness it, does it really exist????

[PassingFair]

14. Someone told me today that...

Naturalized Iraqi-American citizens will be allowed to vote in Iraq's election. True?

[ze_dscherman]

18. Naturalized Iraqi-British can

In a recent report on Arte TV, it was shown even a young lady with British citizenship, birth documents from Kuwait, but Iraqi parents, was allowed to vote. She said it would be difficult for her to decide, because she had only very little information about the candidates. Her father, however, was joyous. He had been exiled since many years, because he was a member of the Iraqi communist party ...

[Igel]

24. True.

5 registration/polling places set up by some NGO.

Iraqis in a few other countries can vote, too.

[Voltaire99]

15. What? The College Republicans aren't volunteering?

Why do they hate America so much?

[IA_Seth]

25. LOL

Thanks for the laugh! I agree that all Republican Poli-Sci majors should get their asses over there and gain some hands on experience..

[daleo]

16. Fox could turn it into an episode of Fear Factor

"Your next challenge, be a monitor at an Iraqi polling station."

[98geoduck]

17. Blackwell and Harris should be sent...

Since they're the experts representing freedom polling.

[UL_Approved]

19. You do it! No, YOU do it!!!

Anybody up for a game of hot potato?

[Nihil]

21. Wonder how big the bribes will be this time?

Some countries did quite well out of joining the Coalition of the Bought.

On the other hand, maybe Cheney will opt for using the stick instead
of the carrot ...
:scared:

[Mills Street]

26. The election is going to be nothing more than gathering up....

innocent Iraqis who want some sort of control of their future, so they can be gunned down by insurgents.

They are stuck in a tough place right now, between unending occupation and the ridiculous danger they face by trying to set up a government that they want.

That's not an election.

Now I made myself sad....