Allawi Calls for Unity in Iraq After Vote
By JASON KEYSER, Associated Press Writer
BAGHDAD, Iraq -
Iraq (news - web sites)'s
interim leader called on his countrymen to set aside their differences
Monday while jubilant Iraqis sifted through millions of ballots,
tallying the results of a vote they hoped would usher in democracy and
lead to the departure of 150,000 American troops.
But there were fears that not everyone
would accept Sunday's results. Sunni participation was considerably
lower than other groups, a U.S. official said on condition of
anonymity. That raised fears that Sunni radicals who drive Iraq's
insurgency could grow ever more alienated.
Exact figures were not available, but few
voters visited polls in Sunni areas — and four stations didn't open —
during Sunday's election.
Despite fears of growing violence, the
nation was calm Monday as vehicles again wove their way down Baghdad's
streets after an election day ban on most traffic. Still, the city's
main bridges were blocked, indicating some security was still in place.
On Sunday, a string of insurgent attacks and eight suicide bombings
killed 44 people.
The election will almost certainly bring
to power the country's long-suppressed Shiite Muslims, who make up 60
percent of Iraq's population, boosting the group's influence and
worrying neighboring countries with Sunni majorities.
Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi
addressed those concerns by saying he would "begin a national dialogue
to guarantee that the voices of all Iraqis are present in the coming
government."
In his first news conference since the
election, he called on Iraqis to work together toward peace, saying:
"The terrorists now know that they cannot win."
"We are entering a new era of our history
and all Iraqis — whether they voted or not — should stand side by side
to build their future," he said, adding: "Now is a suitable time for us
to work together so that the whole world can watch the capabilities of
this great country."
Final results of Sunday's election aren't
expected for days, but the country is already focusing on goals almost
as challenging as the election itself: forming a new governing
coalition, then writing a constitution and winning trust.
The electoral commission said it
believed, based on anecdotal information, that turnout overall among
the estimated 14 million eligible Iraqi voters appeared higher than the
57 percent, or roughly 8 million, that had been predicted before the
vote. But it would be some time before any precise turnout figure was
confirmed, they said.
Not even the country's frequent power
outages could stop the electoral process, the first free vote in a
half-century. In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, election workers began
their task crouched on the ground, counting ballots by the glow of oil
lamps.
Voters were delighted. "Now I feel that
Saddam is really gone," said Fatima Ibrahim, smiling as she headed home
after voting in Irbil, in the Kurdish northern region. She was 14 and a
bride of just three months when her husband, father and brother were
rounded up in a campaign of ethnic cleansing under Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). None have ever been found.
It was still unclear if the successful
vote would deal a significant blow to the insurgents, or lead to a
short-term rise in violence. The militants might need time to regroup
after the spate of attacks they launched in the weeks before the vote.
The election was hailed as a success around the globe, with President Bush (news - web sites)
declaring: "The world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center
of the Middle East." Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said
Iraqis showed "the courage to stand up to (violence) and we should
support them."
In Europe, both opponents and supporters of the Iraq war came together to praise the election, and the European Union (news - web sites)'s foreign policy chief said the milestone would pay off with more aid.
"They are going to find the support of
the European Union, no doubt about that, in order to see this process
move on in the right direction," Javier Solana told The Associated
Press.
But some cautioned that it was too early
to declare the election a total success. New Zealand Foreign Minister
Phil Goff said a low Sunni turnout could still impact the new
government's ability to bring the frail nation under its control.
"Ways must be found to involve Sunnis in
the drafting of the constitution, which will define power among Iraq's
disparate groups, and to give them a stake in the new government," he
said.
Sunday's historic election came only seven
months after Iraq's interim government took over from a U.S.-led
coalition, and less than two years after Saddam's ouster.
The 275-member National Assembly, elected
for an 11-month term, will draft a permanent constitution, and if the
document is approved, Iraqis will vote for a permanent government in
December. If the document is rejected, Iraqis will repeat the whole
process again.
Iraq's interior minister, Falah al-Naqib,
said Monday that insurgents used a handicapped child for one of
Sunday's suicide bombings. He added that a total of 38 attacks were
carried out against polling stations across the country.
No official cause for the plane crash was given.
British officials told The Associated
Press that between nine and 15 people were killed, with the toll likely
to be around 10. Among the dead was the first Australian serviceman
killed on military duty in Iraq: flight Lt. Paul Pardoel, 35, a father
of three with joint British and Australian citizenship.
In an Internet statement, the Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for downing the aircraft.
The ticket endorsed by the Shiite Grand
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani was the pre-voting favorite, while Allawi's
slate was also considered strong. Once results are in, it could take
weeks of backroom deals before a prime minister and government are
picked by the new assembly.
If that government can draw in the
minority Sunni Arabs who partly shunned the election, the country could
stabilize, allowing 150,000 U.S. troops to head home.
With the polls barely closed,
international debate immediately turned to just that issue. On Monday,
Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid plans to call on Bush to outline an
exit strategy for Iraq. And Downer said his country will keep troops
only if the country's newly elected government wants them.
Iraq's interior minister, Falah al-Naqib,
told Britain's Channel 4 News he expected there would be no need for
U.S. troops any longer than 18 months because that's when he
anticipates Iraq's security forces will be trained well enough to
handle the job themselves.
But Allawi said recently that it was premature to know when Iraqi troops would be ready.
And in comments to CBS' "Face The Nation," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (news - web sites) would not say whether U.S. forces would leave the country in great numbers now that the vote is complete.
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