PARIS, 14 January 2005 — Iraqi interim President Ghazi Al-Yawar said yesterday in Paris that national elections scheduled for Jan. 30 must go ahead as scheduled.

“These elections will be 100 percent free and honest,” Al-Yawar told journalists after a working lunch with French President Jacques Chirac. “We are today in the middle of a political process that we want to see succeed in the interest of all Iraqis who refute violence as a means of political action.”

Asked about the maintenance of foreign military bases in Iraq once the security situation has improved, Al-Yawar said that decision would be taken “by an elected government, chosen by the Iraqi people”.

The Iraqi president spoke on the second day of a three-day visit to France that is intended to improve relations between the two countries, which have been tense because of France’s opposition to the US-led war against former strongman Saddam Hussein.

Al-Yawar also said his government will do everything it can “to obtain the liberation” of French journalist Florence Aubenas and her Iraqi translator, who disappeared in Iraq eight days ago.

The 43-year-old Aubenas and Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi disappeared Jan. 5 while traveling north of Baghdad. Although Al-Yawar spoke of a “liberation”, no group has yet claimed to hold the pair and the French government has refused to say they were abducted.

“This is another manifestation of blind terrorism which makes no distinction between human beings, religions, gender or nationality,” Al-Yawar said about the alleged kidnapping.

Allawi Official Paid Reporters at Event

Ayad Allawi, the Iraqi prime minister, on Wednesday admitted that officials from his political alliance had paid journalists for attending press conferences.

At a meeting in Baghdad on Monday hosted by a cleric who is an ally of the prime minister, several Iraqi and Arab journalists were given sealed envelopes containing $100 notes simply for turning up.

Some Iraqi journalists said other political parties were paying reporters for attending similar events and admitted taking the money. More than 100 parties are contesting the Jan. 30 elections and many are so little known they are desperate to win publicity.

The practice recalled the methods employed by Saddam Hussein’s information ministry, which would frequently reward loyal journalists, writers, poets and singers with bundles of dinars or gifts of pistols, cars and apartments.

Monday’s news conference was held by Hussein Al-Sadr, a moderate Shia cleric who has been courted by American officials and is standing in Allawi’s electoral coalition. The prime minister was not present.

“It was a mistake,’’ said the prime minister’s spokesman, Thair Al-Naqib. “It was done by one person acting as an individual and action has been taken.’’ He said Sadr was not responsible. “Ayad Allawi was informed and has taken action. He said it will not happen again and he was very upset.’’