Annan: No Iraq elections by 30 June

[leftchick]

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A5427D3F-63BD-4328-A12B-9C71F2D0D001.htm

<Snip>UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been quoted by a Japanese newspaper as saying that elections in Iraq before the end of June was impossible.

Annan told the daily Yomiuri Shimbun that although elections were essential, "there seems be to general acceptance of the fact that it is not going to be possible to arrange an election between now and the end of June."

"So I think the conclusion then will have to be that elections before the end of June may not be possible, but there will have to be better organised elections later on," Annan told the daily.

Annan also said the UN would help with economic and political reconstruction in Iraq but argued the security situation must improve before it could step in.

[roguevalley]

1. So his war stud trick got broken. Now his 'we're having elections in

Iraq so it wasn't a bust' thing got broken. His
'22 trillion jobs' thing got broken. This boy is
in a world of hurt.

[displacedtexan]

2. Sounds like the world wants a new US Prez, doesn't it?

Timing is everything this year.
BushCo* has scheduled major "War Is Over" photo ops for late June/early July.
How dare the UN freep up the freak monkey's re-selection schedule?

[underpants]

4. I don't think Annan knows how politics runs in this country these days

They don't have to actually HAVE elections they just need to APPEAR to have elections there so W can make his claims and we all feel so wonderful for spreading democracy.

As Suskind/O'Neill quote Ari Fleischer "Perception lags reality".

[Just Me]

6. If * does a "War Is Over" photo op in June/July, HE IS TOAST!!!

I hope he does :D

[calimary]

8. I think that's a fair statement. Just guessing, but

I think the entire world DOES dearly want us to throw bush out. Maybe if he were bounced, the rest of the world wouldn't regard us as such rogues, or as such threats to planetary peace, or such tempting targets for hatred and - heaven knows what else (shudder!)? As I think one of our own DUers put it: "getting the whole world to hate us DOESN'T make us safer." It does, however, make us a lot of nice, angry vengeance-hungry enemies.

[Barrett808]

3. So there's no plan at all

The caucus plan has been abandoned -- seems Iraq will be stuck with IGC puppets of one stripe or another. Ergo, status quo, and advantage to the insurgency.

[Cooley Hurd]

5. I thought there was a "ration stamp" plan...

..in which the Iraqis would use their ration stamps as ballots (Iraqis were all issued ration stamps at some point during the war and would use one as a makeshift "ballot"). Hey, at least that would leave a paper trail...

[leftchick]

7. That was al-Sistani's idea.....

I have not heard yet if it will be implemented. Sure beats BBV.