By LARA JAKES
Associated Press Writer
UR, Iraq – With elections looming and the U.S. withdrawal of combat troops less than seven months away, political disarray is threatening Iraq’s future as well its past.
A parliamentary logjam is holding up legislation touching everything from prison staff, border crossings and counterterrorism troops to an archaeological excavation in dire need of tourists.
The January election that was supposed to clear the way forward has been delayed to March 7, and even if it is accepted as fair and inclusive, overcoming factional infighting and seating the new government “might really take some time,” the U.N. special envoy for Iraq, Ad Melkert, told The Associated Press.