Iraq asks Egypt for help in elections

Resigned US secretary of state Colin Powell warned against more attacks with the approaching date of the Iraqi legislative elections on January 30th, stressing the need of keeping large Iraqi security force to maintain security in the country.

Powell said that these attacks will not succeed in postponing the elections from set dates because the Iraqis stressed their desire to cast their votes in order to choose their new government.

Meantime, news reports said that Iraq had asked Egypt to interfere at the Iraqi Sunni to urge them to take part in the next elections, but without excluding the possibility of postponing them when it is necessary so as all Iraqi people will take part.

This, however, came following talks the Iraqi defense minister Hazem al-Shalan had made with the Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Abu al-Gheit.