国际英语新闻：UN Security Council stresses "transparent, legitimate" Iraqi elections

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- With preparations being made for Iraq's upcoming elections next month, the UN Security Council here on Tuesday stressed the importance of "transparent, legitimate" elections in Iraq's path toward reconciliation and unity.

"Council members stress the importance of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of Iraq," said a Council press statement, which was read to reporters by French Ambassador to the UN Gerard Araud, who holds the rotating Council presidency for the month of February.

The French ambassador read to the press the French version of the statement before an interpreter read the English version.

This statement came after a Security Council meeting concerning the situation of Iraq, particularly in regards to the upcoming legislative elections, which is scheduled for March 7.

The Council statement also stressed the preparation toward the "holding of elections that are free, transparent, legitimate and inclusive with broad participation in order for the results to reflect the will of the Iraqi people and be accepted by them."

The UN secretary-general's special representative to Iraq, Ad Melkert, told reporters after the meeting that "security remains a big challenge to Iraqis and to the intentional community."

"Iraqi and international observers are preparing for watching elections, particularly through the EU (European Union)," Melkert said.

He stressed in particular the preparation of candidate lists, calling for a "transparent and consistent process."

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said on Saturday that 145 candidates have been banned from participating in the country's March parliamentary elections, including the two lawmakers Saleh al-Mutlak and Dhafir al-Ani.

The blacklist of hundreds of candidates included Sunni and secular politicians. The move was being widely perceived as an attempt by the Shiite parties which currently prevail in the political scene to reduce the gains of other Iraqi factions in the upcoming elections.

The upcoming parliamentary election is crucial to Iraq's national reconciliation process after a peak of sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007 which left tens of thousands dead in the war-torn country.