Washington enhances its forces in Iraq sticks to elections date

The US has announced its cling to organize the elections in Iraq on its due date set for January 30, 2005, despite the deteriorations of security conditions in the country.

President George W. Bush said on Thursday that the elections in Iraq should not be postponed despite the continued acts of violence in that country.

Bush said that it is ripe time for the Iraqi civilians to go to the voting boxes and because of that the US sticks to the date of January 30th. The Interim Iraqi President Ghazi Elyawer announced his support for having the elections on the set time and opposition to any postponement. However, the Iraqi minister of the interior Hazem al-Shalaan has not ruled out the possibility of postponement.

This came at a time in which Sunni tribal chiefs asked the interim prime minister Eyad Allawi to postpone the elections because of the lack of security in certain areas in Iraq.

In the course of preparations for the elections, the American administration decided to enhance its forces so as the number increases to 150,000 soldiers instead of the current138,000 in Iraq.

Bush said: I have listened to the wishes of the military officials on the ground. They asked us that the soldiers should postpone their return back ( to the USA) and others to come to Iraq to contribute to organizing the elections.