All political powers in Iraq agree with the UN opinion that Iraq immediately needs to form an independent election committee if it wants free and direct elections by the end of this year.

The UN warned in the report presented by AL Akhdhar Al Ibrahimi, its envoy to Iraq, that elections might not be possible till the end of this year.

The UN report, written by a number of specialists of elections, said that even Iraqis doubt the ability to design electoral laws and institutions before May, which means they need at least another eight months before holding elections.

Politicians hope that UN takes a major role in organizing elections and preparing the necessary requirements to guarantee successes by the time as specified by Ibrahimi, who is returning to Baghdad to discuss this issue.

There is a feeling that the UN, which set certain conditions to assume this task, might eventually refuse a simple role in the preparation for elections.

The US insists on transferring power by the deadline set in the November 15 agreement, which is the end of June, to a transitional government.

The religious and political powers, which demanded holding early elections, were convinced that it is not feasible for many reasons, like insecurity, absence of electoral laws, and absence of preparatory statistics.

Annan announced in Tokyo last Tuesday that the UN is committed to help Iraqis form a democratic government, but it cannot send back its employees to the country unless security conditions are better.

The international organization withdrew all its employees after two bombings at the end of October that targeted its headquarters in Baghdad resulted in many casualties.

Annan did not expect the blue hats to spread in Iraq, but the Security Council could decide deploying a multi-national force even after the power transfer to Iraqis "to improve security conditions and reconstruction of the country."

Iraqis prefer that the UN expresses its ideas concerning the coming rulers of Iraq before elections. Discussions are going on now to form a government presided by Adnan Al Pachachi, the IGC member, to supervise the elections.

Great Aytollah Ali Al Sistani, the prominent Shiite leader and reference, demanded determining a date for the elections, and the UN report supported the possibility of doing so.

But Bremer sees that it could not be carried out in at least a year or 15 months.

After the UN report approved the inability to hold early direct elections, Al Sistani was asked about an alternative suggestion and he emphasized that he does not want to interfere into the alternative mechanism.

"It is possible in such a case that the three parties, the IGC, the coalition authority and the UN, find an alternative mechanism for the elections," sources close to Al Sistani quoted him as saying to the media Wednesday.

Iraqis live in a state of disagreement, not only over the date of the elections but on many other points that they do not expect to end soon.

Points like the Iraqi State Law for the transitional period, which is supposed to be issued next Saturday, federation, the mechanism for the power transfer, security and daily bombings, women's rights, economical condition, forming the new Iraqi army, and reforming the cancelled ministry of defense.

(Xinhua News Agency February 26, 2004)