47 Iraqi political parties have announced they will boycott January’s elections. Most of the parties are Sunni and connected to the Association of Muslim Scholars. But the group includes 8 Shiite parties, one Christian party, one communist party and the Iraqi Turkmen Front. Journalist Mazen Ghazi reports the parties issued a communique that charges the election does not speak for the Iraqi people as long as it is “imposed” by the US-backed interim government. In other Iraq news, Agence France Press is reporting that as many as 12 NATO nations are refusing to send military advisers to help in NATO-sponsored trainings.