UN willing to go to Iraq conditionally; Coalition agrees

By: Hamoud Kufi

BAGHDAD, Iraq: At least three American soldiers were killed Tuesday in twin roadside bombings west of Baghdad as the UN chief voiced his readiness to send a team to Iraq to assess prospects for early elections — if the US-led coalition can guarantee security.

In a statement issued in Paris, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said: “The mission will ascertain the views of a broad spectrum of Iraqi society in the search for alternatives that might be developed to move forward to the formation of a provisional government.”

Annan also said he did not foresee a UN 'blue helmet' peacekeeping force being sent to Iraq for now, but said the dispatch of a UN-approved multinational force was possible.

Meanwhile, the coalition welcomed Tuesday the UN decision of dispatching a team of experts to Iraq to study whether elections can be held before a planned transfer of power and agreed to provide adequate security measures.

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