Canada Is Helping In Iraq

[NATO AIR]

I did not know Canada was doing this

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...u=/cpress/20041218/ca_pr_on_na/cda_iraq_elxns

Elections Canada hosts international conference on Iraq elections

Sat Dec 18, 5:21 PM ET

JOHN WARD

OTTAWA (CP) - Canadian election officials are holding a quiet conference with international experts on Sunday and Monday to discuss preparations for next month's elections in Iraq (news - web sites).

The conference is sponsored by Elections Canada, which is being very secretive about the meetings. The sessions are closed and officials won't even say where they are taking place or how many people are attending.

Myriam Genesco of Elections Canada said there may be a news release issued after the meetings end Monday afternoon, but that's not certain.

She said the participants wanted to keep the sessions low-key.

"People want to concentrate on the subject at hand and that's why things are closed."

Officials will say that the conference includes electoral experts from independent international commissions and from Arab countries.

The discussions will centre on the preparations for the long-awaited elections, which are scheduled for Jan. 30. The conference will also assess how international observers can monitor the vote.

The meetings are endorsed by the United Nations (news - web sites) and the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, and are a partnership with the International Foundation for Election Systems.

Jean-Pierre Kingsley, Canada's chief electoral officer, said in a news release that Canada has worked on elections around the world, offering advice to fledgling democracies.

"This forum will once again put a spotlight on what we do," he said.

The Canadian government has contributed $300 million to the reconstruction of Iraq. Most of this money is earmarked for social and economic stabilization projects.

Another $20 million, however, is going to help run the January elections. The vote is a keystone in American plans to stabilize Iraq and end the political chaos that has seen shootings and suicide bombings in many cities. Insurgents are fighting to delay or derail the elections.

Earlier this month, 17 Iraqi political parties said they were concerned about security during the voting and urged that the elections be delayed for six months.

U.S. President George W. Bush (news - web sites), however, said the voting should go ahead as scheduled and said he has promised more American troops to bolster security.

Ghazer al-Yawer, who was named Iraqi president last June, also said the elections should be held as scheduled.

It's not clear what role, if any, Canadians might play in the voting.

Canada has sent observers to dozens of elections around the world in recent years. About 500 observers are on their way to Ukraine to oversee a post-Christmas presidential election.

Elections Canada missions are more technical in nature. Their experts offer advice on administering elections, preparing documents, materials and ballots, training election officials and preparing voters' lists.

They also work on voter education programs.