Ban Ki-moon rush to Iraq to meet PM al-Maliki

2009-02-07 05:52:29 - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cut short India visit rushed to Baghdad on Friday, to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki a day after the premier's allies swept to victory in provincial elections with secular touch.His mission to India sub-continent with problems of Sri Lanka,India-Pakistan,Myanmar overshadowed of his sudden rush to meet Iraq PM leaving ASEAN countries problem ostracized.

The election commission announced Thursday that Al Maliki's party swept to victory in provincial elections given Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki stronger position ahead of parliamentary elections this year. It shall give Washington's confidence that it can begin withdrawing more of its 140,000 troops from Iraq.
The election commission announced that the coalition loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's won
38 per cent of the votes in Baghdad in Saturday's election, followed by allies of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a Sunni party with 9 per cent each.

"Mr Ban Ki-moon is here in Iraq to reiterate the UN's commitment to the country," UN spokesman Said Arikat said."He will meet the prime minister and above all congratulate the Iraqi people on the success of largely violence-free elections," he said.Ban also met Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Friday.

UN chief's surprise visit comes after preliminary results of Saturday's election showed candidates backed by the premier dominated in Baghdad and eight of the country's nine Shiite provinces.The result was a huge vote of confidence for Maliki, whose standing has steadily grown at home and abroad in the past year.

Basra and Baghdad cities were razed,racked by Shiite militia violence for years and al-Maliki made a crackdown last spring, ending the rule of gunmen and ease of life to live.

Voters chose ruling councils in 14 of the 18 provinces in the first election since December 2005.The vote was aimed at redistributing political power at the local level and was widely seen as a dress rehearsal for national parliamentary elections at the end of the year.US officials were watching the outcome for signs of whether Iraq was stable enough for significant troop withdrawals this year.

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