BAGHDAD - Iraq's interim government declared a state of emergency for 60 days on Sunday to quell violence gripping the country ahead of January elections.

A video grab shows U.S. bombardment over the Iraqi city of Falluja, Nov. 6, 2004. U.S. forces poised to assault Falluja bombarded the rebel stronghold Saturday, while insurgents launched deadly attacks that killed 34 people in Samarra, another city in Iraq's Sunni Muslim heartland. (Pool/Reuters)

The state of emergency, equivalent to martial law, would apply throughout Iraq except the Kurdish north, a spokesman for interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said.

"We have decided to declare a state of emergency in all areas of Iraq, with the exception of the region of Kurdistan for a period of 60 days," spokesman Thaer al-Naqib told reporters.

He said the decision was intended to crush insurgents behind relentless bombings, killings and kidnappings ahead of elections scheduled for the end of January but threatened by the violence.

The announcement came ahead of a widely expected U.S. offensive against the Sunni Muslim cities of Falluja and Ramadi, which the government says are nerve centers of an insurgency they say is led by foreign militants and Saddam Hussein loyalists.

Naqib did not say how the law would be applied, but said the government would not allow rebels to derail the political process.

"The prime minister will give details in a news conference tomorrow," he said.

Iraq passed the National Safety Law giving the government the power to impose a state of emergency in early July but it was not immediately implemented.

It was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the interim government after it took over sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupation authority at the end of June.

Emergency laws have been in place in neighboring Syria for more than 40 years and in Egypt since 1981, drawing criticism from human rights groups who say the region's leaders have abused the legislation to curb freedoms.

Iraq's law gives the government the right to impose curfews, set up checkpoints, and search and detain subjects, provided they have a valid reason and present suspects before a judge within 24 hours.

The period of martial law can be extended with the written approval of Allawi and a presidential council at 30-day intervals, but would automatically expire if not extended.

© Copyright 2004 Reuters Ltd

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