An international team agreed Thursday to review Iraq's parliamentary elections, a decision lauded by Sunni and secular Shiite groups who have been complaining of widespread fraud and intimidation.
The decision by the International Mission for Iraqi Elections to send a team of assessors was backed by the USA. "It is important that the Iraqi people have confidence in the election results and that the voting process, including the process for vote counting, is free and fair," U.S. Ambassador to Baghdad Zalmay Khalilzad said. He added that "these experts will be arriving immediately and we are ready to assist them, if needed."
According to the AP, the team was coming despite a U.N. observer's endorsement of the Dec. 15 vot.
Meanwhile, South Korean National Assembly Friday approved the government bill of cutting almost one third of the 3,200 troops deployed in Iraq, while extending the deployment of the troops for another one year. Among the 158 lawmakers presented, 110 voted for the bill, 31 against and 17 abstained.
According to the bill, some 1,000 South Korean soldiers will return home in the first half of next year.
