U.N. Decision Gets Mixed Response in Iraq

Several Hundred Shiites Demonstrate for Quick Polls in Najaf

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Iraqi politicians gave mixed reviews Friday to a U.N. recommendation against early elections but said they would await details before deciding how to form a new government to take power from the U.S.-led coalition after June 30.

Iraq's top Shiite leader, who challenged the American plan for the handover by calling for a direct vote, reportedly said he would accept only a short delay in elections and argued that any non-elected administration must have strictly limited powers.

Asked in an interview with German newsmagazine Der Spiegel how long a delay he would accept, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani replied that "it must not take long." He did not elaborate. Der Spiegel said Sistani replied to written questions, but did not specify when. The comments were published Friday.

Several hundred Shiites demonstrated Friday in Sistani's hometown of Najaf in support of his call for quick polls.

"Yes to Sistani, yes to elections," the protesters shouted.

However, an official of a major Shiite party -- the Supreme Council for the Islamic Republic in Iraq -- spoke out against any delay. The party is close to Sistani.

"Delaying elections is not acceptable," Imam Kadhim al Salehy said. "It's possible to prepare the proper conditions for elections now if the Iraqi people can provide security."

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Thursday backed Washington's claims that a direct vote before June 30 is impossible. He did not offer alternatives to help resolve the debate on how to transfer sovereignty among Americans, Iraq's Governing Council and powerful Shiite Muslim clerics.

U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer insisted Thursday that the handover will take place by June 30. The favored U.S. option is to expand the existing 25-member Iraqi Governing Council.

"There are 133 days before sovereignty returns to an Iraqi government on June 30th," Bremer said. "Changes in the mechanism performing an interim government are possible, but the date holds."

Al Salehy, from the Shiite party, said his group was willing to expand the Governing Council only if "the expansion is limited to a small number, no more than you can count on one hand."

Governing Council spokesman Hameed al-Kafaei said the group had not yet discussed proposals for the size of any future, expanded council. "There are many ideas before the council now," he said. "The different mechanisms are still being studied."

The Iraqi National Congress, whose Shiite Muslim leader Ahmad Chalabi is on the Governing Council, said Friday that elections were still possible before June 30 and dismissed Annan's finding as a nonbinding opinion.

"We also said before the U.N. delegation came to Baghdad that we are not obligated to their opinion. This is after all an Iraqi issue and we must solve it ourselves and we will take them as adviser," INC spokesman Entifadh Qanbar told The Associated Press.