United Nations, May 23, SPA -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has welcomed the announcement of the formation of a new Iraqi government, the first constitutionally elected government for that country. The secretary-general “hopes that the process of forming a broad-based and inclusive government will be completed as soon as possible, so that it will be able to quickly address the crucial issues of national reconciliation, security, the rule of law, respect for human rights, reconstruction, and development,” said U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Annan also paid tribute to the courage of the Iraqi people amid the ongoing violence. He “urged them to seize the opportunity offered by the successful establishment of a broad-based and inclusive government,” Dujarric told reporters. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/363214