Iraqis Will Have to Wait

The Iraqis' hopes of holding a general election before the end of June were dampened as coalition forces mopped up two suicide bombs at a Polish military base that killed at least seven Iraqis and wounded dozens of others.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in an interview that it will be impossible to hold elections in Iraq before the end of June.

Annan was quoted as saying that elections were essential but "there seems to be general acceptance of the fact that it is not going to be possible to arrange an election between now and the end of June."

Elections had to be properly organized and the conditions had to be right with security, with the political and legal instruments ready for the elections, the UN chief said.

"So I think the conclusion then will have to be that elections before the end of June may not be possible, but there will have to be better organized elections later on," Annan said.

The United States planned to bring the occupation to a formal end and hand over the reins of power in Baghdad to an unelected Iraqi government on June 30.