Gov. rejects interference in banning decision

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A political adviser to the Iraqi prime minister on Saturday expressed his government’s rejection of any forms of interference in the decisions of the Accountability and Justice Commission. “The Iraqi government has a fixed stance. It rejects any forms of interference in the decisions of the commission, including those by the Presidential Board (PB) members, the Parliament’s leadership and the cabinet,” Sadiq al-Rikabi told IraqiNews.com news agency. The Accountability and Justice Commission had banned 511 candidates from running in the upcoming parliamentary election, citing their alleged affiliation to the dissolved Baath Party. Those banned included the head of the National Dialogue Front, Saleh al-Mutlak. The commission’s decision has evoked varied reactions in Iraq and the United States. In a phone call with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Iyad al-Samarraie, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden suggested that those candidates who have been barred should disavow and condemn the Baath party and be allowed to run in the election. SS (P)/SR 2