Iraqi government welcomes Obama’s victory – spokesman

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: The spokesman for the Iraqi government Ali al-Dabagh on Wednesday said that the government welcomes the election of Senator Barack Obama as the new U.S. president. “The Iraqi government welcomes and respects the American people’s choice in electing Senator Obama,” al-Dabagh said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com. Al-Dabagh asserted the Iraqi government’s desire to cooperate with the new U.S. administration in a way that maintains Iraq’s security, sovereignty and stability. Barack Obama won the U.S. elections, defeating Republican John McCain to make history as the first black U.S. president. Obama will be sworn in as the 44th U.S. president on January 20, 2009 and will face a crush of immediate challenges, from tackling an economic crisis to ending the war in Iraq and trying to overhaul the U.S. health care system. SH (P) 1