President Bush has urged all Iraqis to vote in the January 30th elections, calling the upcoming ballot a hopeful and historic moment for Iraq.
Speaking at the White House Friday, Mr. Bush stressed the importance of electing the country's national assembly, which is expected to write Iraq's permanent constitution.
The President also confirmed reports he was sending a team to Iraq to asses U.S. policy in the country.
Meanwhile, a leading U.S. newspaper says the UN committee investigating Iraq's oil-for-food program has found no clear evidence of wrongdoing by UN officials.
In an interview published Friday in The New York Times, committee chairman Paul Volcker said the evidence uncovered so far is mostly circumstantial, and that none of it implicates UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Information for this report is provided AP and AFP.