From correspondents in Baghdad, Iraq, 08:06 PM IST

The Iraqi presidential council Tuesday set March 6 as the new date for parliamentary elections, Baghdad's Aswat al-Iraq news agency reported, citing state television.

The announcement followed parliament's unanimous approval to a law to cover those polls minutes before a midnight deadline Sunday, ending a tense, months-long standoff that highlighted sectarian divisions between Shiite, Sunni, and Kurdish political parties.

The US and the UN had exerted significant pressure on politicians to reach a compromise ahead of Sunday night's deadline, lawmakers said at the time.

US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden had personally telephoned Kurdish President Massoud Barzani to ask him to shelve Kurdish reservations about the distribution of seats in the new parliament, Kurdish lawmakers said at the time.

The US has made the withdrawal of its combat troops from Iraq conditional on a period of calm following successful elections.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)