The United States has asserted that Iraqis will take "paramount" responsibility in providing security for the Jan. 30 election in the country.

"I think you will see on Election Day that most of the security is being provided by the Iraqis and the Iraqi forces," State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher said at a regular news briefing on Thursday.

"The Iraqi responsibility for the election, the Iraqi efforts to provide security for the election places is paramount, and clearly they're in the lead," Boucher noted.

US military commanders, Iraqi government officials and the private analysts are all predicting that the violence will intensify in Iraq as insurgents attempt spectacular new attacks aimed at intimidating Iraqi security forces and dissuading citizens from going to the polls.

"I expect something spectacular to occur," said Major General Peter W. Chiarelli of the First Cavalry Division, who is in chargeof security in Baghdad.

Chiarelli, who had about 27,000 troops under his command in theBaghdad area, said that his troops were under orders to stay as far away as possible from the polling places, allowing Iraqi forces to control the areas directly around the ballot boxes except in cases of emergency.

"The whole idea here is that we are in support of the Iraqis," US leading newspaper the New York Times quoted Chiarelli as reporting on Thursday.

The Baghdad area has been one of the worst hit in the anti-voteviolence in Iraq since late last year.