Washington: The White House has welcomed the approval of Iraq's electoral law, calling it a "decisive moment for Iraq's democracy”.
"The United States welcomes the resolution adopted on December 6 by Iraq's Council of Representatives regarding the election law," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.
"This legislative action will allow Iraq to hold national elections within Iraq's constitutional framework," he added yesterday.
"It is a decisive moment for Iraq's democracy and we congratulate the Iraqi people and their elected representatives."
Iraqi lawmakers finally approved a new version of a stalled electoral law late yesterday, paving the way for Parliamentary Elections to be held early next year.
No definitive date has yet been set for the election which had originally been scheduled for January 16 but was delayed because of the failure by MPs to agree on the new law.
The new law will expand Iraq's Parliament from 275 seats to 325, including three additional seats for provinces in northern Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan, and one fewer reserved seat.
Gibbs said US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden earlier Sunday spoke with Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) president Masoud Barzani.
"The President and the Vice President confirmed the US commitment to a long-term relationship with Iraq, including the KRG," the spokesman added.
PTI
First Published: Monday, December 07, 2009, 09:15