International Team Will Review Elections

BAGHDAD — An international team agreed Thursday to review Iraq's parliamentary elections, a decision lauded by Sunni Muslim Arab and secular Shiite groups that have staged repeated protests complaining of fraud and intimidation.

The International Mission for Iraqi Elections team made the decision despite a United Nations observer's endorsement of the Dec. 15 vote, which gave the Shiite religious bloc a big lead in preliminary returns. "It is important that the Iraqi people have confidence in the election results and that the voting process, including the process for vote counting, is free and fair," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said.

About 1,500 complaints have been lodged against the elections, including about 50 serious enough to alter the results in some districts. The overall result, however, was not expected to change.

The Iraqi Accordance Front, a leading Sunni group, applauded the decision, as did the secular Iraqi National List headed by former Shiite Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

It was unclear if the review would delay final results, which are expected in early January.

The presence of two Arab experts on the International Mission for Iraqi Elections team could go far in helping to convince Iraqis that the review will be fair.