All Iraqi groups must take part in polls: Annan

Iraq’s various groups should be encouraged to take part in the process aimed at restoring stability ahead of January elections, UN Chief Kofi Annan said today.

However, he warned at an international conference on Iraq in Egypt that the rampant violence that has gripped the country since the US-British invasion last year ‘‘is the greatest impediment to a successful transition process’’.

He also took a veiled swipe at recent heavy-handed military actions by US-led troops and Iraqi forces to quell the insurgency in places like Falluja despite fears that it may fuel resistance and widen