Updated on
Summary
US officials said that the US was disappointed by news that the Iraqi Vice President vetoed a key part of Iraq's election law. We urge the Iraqi leaders and parliament to take quick action, State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said. He said the delay could affect U.S. plans for a withdrawal from Iraq, set to begin in 2010. Iraq's presidential council, composed of President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, and two vice presidents, one Sunni and one Shi'ite, has demanded a greater say in the election for minorities and for nationals living abroad. The insistence on securing the relevant change in the law governing the vote led Tareq al-Hashemi, the Sunni vice-president, to veto the legislation.
