Iraq 'delicate' ahead of January elections

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- The next few weeks are critical as Iraq prepares for provincial elections in January in the wake of the bilateral pact with Washington, the United Nations said.

The U.N. special envoy to Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said in his latest report to the U.N. Security Council that while the security situation in Iraq had improved, the coming weeks and months will be critical tests for the war-torn country, the U.N. News Center said.

"Iraq now enters a delicate electoral period where every small security gain is likely to give space to political dialogue that should be built upon in order to avoid any electoral-related violence linked to the provincial elections of 31 Jan. 2009," he said.

De Mistura called on members of the international community to "stand firm" in support of the U.N. mission to reconstruct Iraq following decades of dictatorship under Saddam Hussein and over five years of U.S. occupation.

"The forthcoming elections are rightly viewed as an opportunity to establish a more inclusive sectarian balance and shape a new political landscape and are the most significant political event in the coming months," the envoy said.

Iraqi lawmakers in September passed the long-awaited provincial elections law, setting the stage for January elections, and on Sunday the Iraqi Cabinet moved a bilateral security accord with Washington on to lawmakers for approval.