U.N., Iraqis debate ballots while insurgency takes the 530th

[Judi Lynn]

U.N., Iraqis debate ballots while insurgency takes the 530th American life
By Hamza Hendawi, Associated Press, 2/8/2004 16:21


BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) U.N. experts met with Iraqi leaders for the first time Sunday to discuss the chances of holding early elections as Prince Charles made a surprise visit and Japan expanded its first military deployment to a combat zone since World War II.

In fresh violence, insurgents attacked separate U.S. Army convoys with explosives, killing one soldier and wounding three others, witnesses said. The soldier was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near Mahmudiyah, 20 miles south of Baghdad, a military spokesman said. No other details were available.

Prince Charles, wearing desert camouflage and a black beret, made a surprise visit to British troops, the first member of the royal family to go to Iraq since Saddam Hussein's ouster.

At a former Saddam palace in the city of Basra, the prince mingled with about 200 soldiers, shaking hands, sipping tea and praising them for their role in keeping security in southern Iraq.
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