The United States said on Mondaythat it sticks to the timetable scheduled for Iraq's nationwide elections on Jan. 30 despite calls for a delay.

"It is our understanding that the independent electoral commission and the Iraqi interim government remain of the view that elections need to be held on January 30, and we are certainlyproceeding on that assumption," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said at a news briefing.

"It is a decision that the Iraqis are going to make. And to this point they have said that they want to have them on Jan. 30, and that is something that we are supporting," Ereli said.

US President George W. Bush has vowed to hold Iraq's elections as scheduled.

However, with the increase of violence in Iraq, doubt has risenabout the possibility of holding the first post-Saddam elections on Jan. 30. Some political parties have asked to delay the elections for up to six months as the present security situation would not allow the holding of free and fair elections.

Source: Xinhua