Minister: Iraq Not Secure Enough for Elections

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's interim interior minister said Monday the country was not secure enough to hold early direct elections.

"We ask for this matter to be postponed, even if it is for a short time, until all the political and security preparations can ensure that elections can run in a free and stable manner," Nouri Badran told a news conference.

Iraq's postwar political arena has heated up since the top Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for direct elections, challenging an American plan for transferring power by July.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is currently deciding whether to send a mission to Iraq to decide on the feasibility of holding early elections.

The country's volatile sects are vying for power against the background of a bloody insurgency against U.S. troops and their allies.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/iraq_elections_dc

[fob]

1. Mistranslated - Here is the correct quote -

"Minister: Iraq Not Secure Enough for bush* to rig Elections"

[damnraddem]

2. Iraq will not be secure without allowing elections.

Continued US presence will not allow Iraq to be fixed -- it will only break Iraq more.

[daleo]

3. He is hardly disinterested

Being the interior minister of the puppet government makes any of his utterances on this topic highly suspect.

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Translation

"We're a bunch of crooked quislings, everybody knows it and we wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell if we had to face the people without the Marines standing behind us with fixed bayonets."

[mike1963]

5. Can't have election until stable, can't get stable without elections.

Sounds a lot like an old book...yes, I'm sure I read that someplace...
:eyes: