Miliband condemns Iraq poll attacks
Foreign Secretary David Miliband condemned terror attacks which killed 36 people as Iraq went to the polls.
But Mr Miliband said that the parliamentary elections were an indication of the "significant democratic progress" made in Iraq since the 2003 war which toppled Saddam Hussein.
It was too early to say whether the elections were free and fair, but initial reports were "encouraging", said the Foreign Secretary.
About 6,200 candidates are competing for 325 seats in the new Parliament, in the second such elections since the US-led invasion seven years ago this month.
Some 19 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in a poll which it is hoped will help the country move beyond the sectarian divisions which marked the post-invasion years.
At least 14 people died as an explosion destroyed a building in Baghdad, while seven others were killed in mortar attacks and three when a hand-grenade was thrown into a crowd of voters elsewhere in the Iraqi capital. A bomb in the city of Mahmoudiya killed a policeman inside a polling station, and explosions were reported in other parts of the country.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Office in London, Mr Miliband said: "The British Government has been following very closely the elections in Iraq. The determination to vote has been significant, but the violence and loss of life shows the extent of the challenge faced by the Iraqi people. We condemn all terrorist attacks without reservation."
He added: "Today's elections follow a vibrant election campaign and underscore the significant democratic progress across the country. The Iraqi people, voting in their millions, have made clear they want an effective, accountable and inclusive government, and one which acts in truly national, not sectarian interests.
"The Iraqi people deserve our congratulations. It is too early to reach a conclusion on the freedom and fairness of the election or on turnout, but I can say that initial reports are encouraging and that we and our EU partners will be fair and open in our final assessment.
"I hope that, after the results have been confirmed by Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, a government will be formed whose aim is to serve all Iraqis."
