AAJ TV : Pakistan Ki Awaz

BRUSSELS : NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Monday hailed the Iraq general election as a 'crucial achievement' towards building a fully democratic country.

"I congratulate the Iraqi government and people on the elections" held on Sunday, Rasmussen said in a statement issued from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's headquarters in Brussels.

"Regardless of the attempts of violent extremists, these elections represent yet another crucial achievement for the development of a full democratic Iraq," he added.

Millions voted Sunday, braving rocket, mortar and bomb attacks that killed 38 people to cast their ballots in the second parliamentary election since US-led forces ousted now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the leader who helped ease Iraq's deadly sectarian conflict, emerged as front-runner Monday after the landmark vote.

"The Iraqi elections will contribute in a significant way to the process of national reconciliation, helping political progress towards the stability of Iraq," the NATO chief said.

While NATO has no combat role in Iraq, it does have a training mission engaged in helping Iraq create effective armed forces and, ultimately, provide for its own security.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2010