Iraq's government said Thursday it was extending emergency powers equivalent to martial law for a further 30 days to try to safeguard January 30 elections under threat from deadly attacks by insurgents. 

The state of emergency, first imposed in November ahead of a major US assault on the rebel stronghold of Falluja west of Baghdad, would be extended into February, Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's government said in a statement.

Emergency powers allow the government to impose curfews, close borders and airports and detain suspects without following normal legal procedures. The emergency applies to all regions of Iraq except the Kurdish north, which has been relatively stable.

"Since terrorist gangs continue their activities to prevent the creation of a broad representative government and try to impede peaceful political participation of all Iraqis, we have decided to extend the state of emergency in all areas of Iraq except the region of Kurdistan for 30 days," Allawi said.

Also yesterday, police said they had found the bodies of 18 Shi'ite men captured and killed last month on their way to work at a US base in Mosul.

In another development, while calls mount among Sunnis to postpone this month's Iraqi election, the reclusive Shi'ite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is mobilizing thousands of clerics to get out and vote.

The move, designed to ensure election dominance of a Shi'ite list heavily influenced by Sistani, shows his influence in Iraqi politics despite his support for the separation of religious and political authorities.

Supporters of Sistani say he was forced to intervene in the election to balance US influence and ensure that the next constitution sticks, forming the basis for a federal, democratic Iraq guided by the universal values of Islam.

Sistani is likely to wield enormous influence in drafting the new constitution, but his followers say he remains averse to political power and has kept his distance from US officials.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors are to urge Sunnis to vote in upcoming Iraqi elections to ensure the minority plays a role in Iraq and curb Shi'ite Iran's rising influence in the country, diplomats say.

(China Daily January 7, 2005)