We are doing the best we can to provide a better atmosphere
John Negroponte, wearing tan body armour over his shirt and tie with an American flag sewn on to the front, made his visit under heavy guard amid the start of reconstruction efforts to rebuild the city. The former US ambassador to the United Nations told AFP during his surprise visit to the shattered city that the security situation should not prevent Iraq's election from being held as scheduled on Jan. 30. "We believe there will be adequate security for these elections to be held on January 30," he said in Fallujah, which has recently been the scene of the worst postwar fighting in Iraq. Shortly after his comments, the head of Iraq's electoral commission said it was "out of the question" that elections would be postponed, while the Iraqi government also said it was determined to hold the elections on time. "We support the implementation of the transitional law in Iraq," Negroponte added, a day after 10 leading Iraqi political parties requested the election be postponed by six months due to security concerns. "Unrest and terrorist acts as well as insufficient preparation at the administrative, technical and political levels necessitate the date be reconsidered," said a statement approved Saturday by 17 organisations, including the 10 parties.
Jordan Times/AFP May.15.04
