My Way News: "The Bush administration has said it plans to stick to the election date despite the violence and a call for postponement by several leading Sunni Muslim groups.
Some foreign leaders have expressed doubts.
With Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi looking on, Putin expressed some of the most pointed and outspoken concerns Tuesday.
'Honestly speaking, I cannot imagine how it is possible to organize elections under the conditions of occupation by foreign forces,' the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying at the meeting in Moscow. 'At the same time, I don't understand how you alone can remedy the situation in the country and prevent its disintegration,' Putin said, addressing Allawi.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli played down any differences with Russia, saying, 'There are, as in any relationship, issues where we see things differently.'
He called the election 'an important milestone event in the democratic development of Iraq. It's something that, I think, responds to the desires of the people, the policy of the government, the consensus of the international community. So let's go forward.'
There was no reported response from Allawi. Putin also said he expected the interests of Russian companies to be considered in Iraqi reconstruction, given that Russia was willing to join in writing off 80 percent of Iraq's debts to the Paris Club of creditor nations.
Arab League chief Amr Moussa warned Tuesday that a boycott of the election by Sunni Muslims would harm the political process."
Some foreign leaders have expressed doubts.
With Iraq's interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi looking on, Putin expressed some of the most pointed and outspoken concerns Tuesday.
'Honestly speaking, I cannot imagine how it is possible to organize elections under the conditions of occupation by foreign forces,' the ITAR-Tass news agency quoted Putin as saying at the meeting in Moscow. 'At the same time, I don't understand how you alone can remedy the situation in the country and prevent its disintegration,' Putin said, addressing Allawi.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli played down any differences with Russia, saying, 'There are, as in any relationship, issues where we see things differently.'
He called the election 'an important milestone event in the democratic development of Iraq. It's something that, I think, responds to the desires of the people, the policy of the government, the consensus of the international community. So let's go forward.'
There was no reported response from Allawi. Putin also said he expected the interests of Russian companies to be considered in Iraqi reconstruction, given that Russia was willing to join in writing off 80 percent of Iraq's debts to the Paris Club of creditor nations.
Arab League chief Amr Moussa warned Tuesday that a boycott of the election by Sunni Muslims would harm the political process."
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