Hope & fear as Arabs await outcome

A commentary headlined "An eye filled with fear, the other with hope" in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat set the mood.

The author Jaber Habib Jaber summarised Arab perplexity in the face of the ambiguous election by saying that Iraq's first democratic vote in 50 years "is a beginning ... and no beginning is ever perfect".

The vote in Iraq is a rarity in the world of strictly-controlled politics in the Middle East where there is often only one election candidate or the result is a foregone conclusion.

In neighbouring Jordan, where King Abdullah II warned in an interview with AFP last week against the risks of Iraq being partitioned, a senior official insisted the election was the best way for Iraq's salvation.

"We hope that holding elections in these very difficult conditions will help achieve stability in Iraq, reflect the will of all the Iraqi people and help Iraq recover its sovereignty," government spokeswoman Asma Khodr said.

"This is a step that ought to have positive results for Iraq as well as its neighbours, including Jordan," she told AFP.

Khodr voiced concern at the spate of attacks that killed at least 19 people and wounded dozens barely hours into the Iraqi polls, as insurgents sought to derail the high-security vote.

"These are very difficult circumstances and they could affect voter participation and this is cause for concern. But there is no alternative to forging ahead with efforts aimed at enabling the Iraqi people to take the political reins of their country," Khodr said.