BEIJING, Feb. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- World leaders were nearly unanimousin welcoming the Iraq election Sunday, calling it a success that may open a new era in the war-ravaged country. But many also cautioned that a lot remain to be done to unite Iraqis, curb violence and rebuild a truly independent sovereign country.

    While the United States hailed the poll a "great success," politicians from other countries voiced concern that the vote might not truly reflect Iraqis' will and the new Iraqi leadership could be another "US puppet."

    ENCOURAGING DEVELOPMENT

    The UN Security Council congratulated the Iraqi people on Sunday's election, Iraq's first election since Saddam Hussein was toppled in April 2003, saying it was "a positive step."

    The Council reaffirmed its support for Iraq's political transition in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1546, adding it will continue to follow developments in the country.

    The European Union (EU) hailed Iraq's election as a great day for Iraqis and a "powerful signal" for the region, while urging its new authorities to protect the rights of minorities, notably Sunni Muslims.

    EU foreign ministers called the polls "a very important step onthe path toward democracy, freedom and peace." But they said the low turnout among Sunnis, which make up about a fifth of Iraq's population, was "a very important problem," as this could comprisethe representativeness of the national assembly elected and hence the constitution it drafted.

    EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said the world must nowrally around the new government to be formed after Sunday's polls.

    US President George W. Bush on Monday discussed Iraq's electionwith UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and both agreed on the significance of the election, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

    Bush also called British Prime Minister Tony Blair, French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Monday and they all agreed that the vote was "a significant step forward" for Iraq and a blow to terrorists, the spokesman said.

    Greece, Italy and many Arab countries also applauded the election in Iraq, which was held on schedule despite some Sunni Arab leaders' call for delay or boycott.

    A string of blasts and mortar attacks broke out across the country on the election day, killing about 40 people and wounding dozens more. But insurgent groups' threat to turn the poll into a bloodbath seemed not to have deterred the majority of Iraqi voters.Iraqi officials estimated a turnout of about 60 percent, much better than some grim predictions.

    Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, attending an African Union (AU) summit in the Nigerian capital Abuja, telephoned Iraq's interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi on Sunday to congratulate him on the holding of the election.

    Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi congratulated the Iraqi government on holding "such a glorious election," terming it a "success" and a "sign of nobility of the Iraqi people."

    Kuwaiti National Assembly Speaker Jassem Al-Kharafi expressed satisfaction with the Iraq vote, while the Turkish Foreign Ministry expected "a new period" to begin in Iraq after the election.

    Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa hailed the Iraq election, saying it is important for the war-torn country's development and reconstruction. Jordanian King Abdullah II expressed optimism over the future of democracy in the region.

    CAUTIONS VOICED

    While welcoming the Iraq election, many leaders did not see a quick fix for the oil-rich and violence-torn country. Analysts said the election is not likely to bring peace to Iraq abruptly, and many predicted more violence ahead.

    Some Asian countries stressed the need for the Iraqi people to be allowed to govern their own land as soon as possible.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Iraq election "a step in the right direction" and "a positive event." But he noted "there is a lot of work to be done toward ensuring a secure life and the restoration of full sovereignty."

    The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed regret over the low turnout among Sunni voters, which it attributed to "a failure to establish the national dialogue that the international community has called for."

    Around 13 million Iraqis, about half of the population, registered to vote in the election, while some eligible voters didnot register due to intimidation or because they were boycotting the polls.

    In Iraq's Kurdish north and mostly Shiite south, the turnout isoverwhelming. But few Iraqis cast ballots in heavily Sunni areas due to lack of security and calls for a boycott from some Sunni parties.

    "The most difficult task lies ahead -- to make sure the resultsof the elections have a stabilizing effect on the situation in thecountry," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

    The ministry urged all ethnic and religious groups in Iraq to be represented in the government that the national assembly will form.

    "If other political forces feel removed from state affairs, this will seriously hamper solution of the most difficult problemsof the transition period."

    The ministry also called for broader involvement by the international community, especially the United Nations, in settling the Iraq crisis.

    While generally drawing positive remarks from around the world,the Iraq election did not quell doubts that the voting was totallyindependent of foreign influence and the new body elected would truly serve the Iraqi people.

    Suripto, an Indonesian member of parliament from the conservative Muslim Prosperous Justice Party, said "democracy cannot be measured only by the election."

    Only time would tell whether Iraq's new 275-member national assembly was merely a US puppet, he said.

    "We will see in the democratization process whether the people's representatives in the parliament are really independent in channeling the aspiration of the Iraqi people," Suripto said.

    His sentiments were echoed by some prominent Russians.

    "These elections have not yielded much," former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said, according to the Itar-Tass news agency. "It is necessary to wait and see the results, but I think all this is unreliable and dubious."

    Russia's Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov put it more bluntly. "The Americans tried to foist on the Iraqi people grand lie dubbed democratic parliamentary elections," he said. Enditem