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| Wednesday, 24 November 2004 |
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Iran pledges support for Iraq elections, urges halt to US attacks SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Tuesday (AFP) Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi pledged Tehran's support on Tuesday for Iraqi elections planned for January but urged a halt to US-led assaults on rebel cities. "We firmly believe that holding of free and democratic elections within the envisaged timeframe coupled with ensuring representation of all ethnic and religious groups is what can ensure the realisation of our common objective," he told delegates at an international conference on Iraq in this Red Sea resort. "Any measure that could undermine the holding of democratic elections within the timeframe" of January, laid down in UN Security Council Resolution 1546, would be "detrimental to the stability" of Iraq, said Kharazi at the conference of solidarity with the country's political transition. The foreign minister condemned "all acts of terror, kidnapping and bombings" in the war-battered country but also assaults on Iraqi cities that he said only served to prolong the cycle of violence. "Indiscriminate bombardment of Iraqi cities leading to large numbers of civilian casualties cannot be justified in terms of collateral damage in the war against terror and violence," said Kharazi. "Attacks against cities should come to a halt so that the vicious cycle of further human loss and suffering, resulting in further alienation and inflammation of popular sentiments, and leading to even more violence." |
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