Iraq National Conference to Convene Next Week -- US

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The national conference on Iraq (news - web sites)'s political future is due to take place in Baghdad next week with 1,000 delegates from across the country, a senior State Department official said on Thursday.



Amid intense concern over security, Iraq's interim government is assembling the delegates who are to select 100 people to form an interim national council that will serve until elections in January, said Ronald Schlicher, the State Department's coordinator for Iraqi affairs.


Schlicher told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "at this point" the conference was to be convened next week. "There are huge logistical challenges in doing that," he added.


Schlicher said the interim government was "casting a very, very wide net" to ensure delegates represented a broad swath of society, including representatives of political parties, academics and professionals, members of civil society groups, tribal leaders and others.

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http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=1276&e=3&u=/nm/20040722/wl_nm/iraq_usa_conference_dc

[cornfedyank]

1. i hope they ask us to leave. n/t