BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The head of Iraq's delayed National Conference said Saturday that the violence raging in Shiite areas of the country would not affect the crucial gathering due to start the next day.
"This is a perfect time for the conference to discuss the current problems and find solutions," Fuad Masoum told journalists.
The gathering of 1,300 delegates will help elect a 100-member national assembly that is to shepherd the country to its first democratic elections, scheduled for the end of January.
The conference was to have been held by the end of July under a law passed by the outgoing U.S. occupation authority, but many key factions said they would boycott the meeting and some of the country's multiethnic provinces had difficulty in choosing slates of delegates.
http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBAMB7YVXD.html
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