Annan Asked to Send Team to Iraq on Elections

[Barrett808]

Annan Asked to Send Team to Iraq on Elections
By Evelyn Leopold

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States and Iraqi leaders asked the United Nations (news - web sites) Monday to salvage their strategy in Iraq (news - web sites) and send a mission to Baghdad to advise on the feasibility of elections now or suggest a compromise.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (news - web sites) said he was considering the proposal but told reporters further discussions were necessary before he could make a decision on sending what he called a "technical" team immediately.

The request came from the Iraqi Governing Council, which took the lead in several hours of meetings with the United Nations and the U.S.-led occupation authorities.

As the meetings began at the United Nations, tens of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims marched in Baghdad to support a demand by Iraq's most revered Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, for an elected provisional government rather than indirect elections through caucuses, as Washington proposed.

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040119/ts_nm/iraq_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480

[Ilsa]

1. If I understand this correctly,

if they have elections and the Shi'ite are in the majority, then it will be possible for them to turn Iraq into a strict Islamic govt, right? Bush won't look too hot.

If the UN is late getting there, or if the elections are put off, then it's the UN's fault as they are recommending that they be delayed, so Bush not meeting his target isn't his fault. (yeah, right) But of course, that means the soldiers are still stuck there...

Anything else I'm missing?