Secretary-General welcomes establishment of independent team

to evaluate iraq election complaints

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan:

The Secretary-General welcomes today’s decision by the International Mission for Iraqi Elections (IMIE) to establish a team of assessors, including two representatives from the League of Arab States, to conduct a follow-up assessment to its interim report released on 15 December.

The Secretary-General strongly supports the ongoing efforts by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) to investigate and audit all complaints received before certifying the results of the 15 December elections.

This is why the United Nations has encouraged the IECI to invite additional international observers to support this process.  It is critical that those Iraqi groups who have complained about the conduct of the election are given a hearing.  This team of assessors, which was not involved in the conduct of the elections, offers an independent evaluation of these complaints.

The Secretary-General notes that the IECI has welcomed the IMIE’s decision.  He hopes that these efforts will assist in successfully completing the certification process.

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For information media • not an official record