An Iraqi appeals court Wednesday struck down a ban imposed on hundreds of candidates for suspected ties to Saddam Hussein's regime, allowing them to run in next month's election, AP quouted an Iraqi official as saying here today. The move could neutralize a major source of tension ahead of key March elections. The blacklist _ which has more than 450 names _ was widely criticized by Sunni political leaders who claimed it was being used as a political tool to marginalize them by the Shiite-led government. Washington also worries about any disputes that could challenge the credibility of March 7 parliamentary elections and last month sent Vice President Joe Biden on a mission to try to ease the pre-election tensions. Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, sought a compromise strategy by shifting the issue to the nation's highest appeals court, which then came up with a compromise of its own: the candidates could run, but would not be allowed to take office until their links to the former regime had been fully examined. A prominent Sunni political figure on the list, Saleh al-Mutlaq, hailed the ruling, saying it proved that Iraq's judiciary was neutral. «The Iraqi legal system is not affected by political decisions,» he said. Election commission member, Hamdiya al-Hussaini, said the decision sets aside the election ban for now, but any winners on the list would «not enjoy their rights» until they have been cleared of any possible links to Saddam's regime. -- SPA
