UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan praised Iraqis for voting in the constitutional referendum and expressed hope it will lead to peace.
"For the second time this year, the people of Iraq have braved difficult conditions and the threat of violence to exercise their vote," he said Saturday in a statement issued through a spokesman at the U.N. World Headquarters in New York, referring to the national legislative balloting in January.
He said Saturday's referendum was an important opportunity for the Iraqi people to express their political views.
"The secretary-general pays tribute to the courage of the Iraqi people and congratulates the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, as well as the thousands of Iraqi election workers and monitors, on having organized and carried out the referendum in such challenging circumstances," said the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric. The world organization had an electoral assistance team in Iraq to help with preparations leading up to the voting and continuing through the tally.
"The counting process is expected to take some time, so preliminary official
results are unlikely to be available for at least several days," Dujarric said. "Whatever the outcome, the secretary-general believes that this referendum offers an opportunity for all Iraqis to move away from violence and to unite in a spirit of national reconciliation to build a democratic, unified and prosperous Iraq."
Annan said the United Nations "will continue to do all it can to help the Iraqi people to that end."
