Baghdad - Iraq's Presidential Council on Tuesday unanimously endorsed a long-delayed provincial councils' election law, state- controlled media reported.

A statement from the presidential office said that article 50, a controversial article which deals with minority rights, had been referred to parliament for further consideration.

The council consists of Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents, Adil Abdel Mahdi and Tariq al-Hashimi.

Earlier in the week, Abbas al-Bayati, a member of the Iraqi United Alliance coalition in the Iraqi parliament, explained to Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that the Iraqi parliament would discuss minority participation in the elections and publish a supplement to the law.

"The supplement published will allow minorities to take part in the January 2009 elections," al-Bayati told dpa.

The election law was expected to be endorsed on October 3. However, reports said that Talabani did not endorse the law after expressing his concern over the minority article.

The Iraqi parliament had passed the provincial council law on September 24 and decided to remove article 50, which specifies a quota for minorities on provincial councils.

The parliamentary decision has sparked a heated reaction from several political blocs representing the country's Christians and other minorities.

More than 10,000 Iraqi Christians demonstrated Thursday in the northern Dahuk province, demanding self-rule in their area and the restoration of the clause in the new elections law that would guarantee their representation on councils.

Both the US and the UN expressed their concern, criticizing the removal of the article as counter to democracy.

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki also expressed his concerns about the removal of the disputed article.

In a statement released by his office, al-Maliki called on parliament and the Iraqi High Electoral Commission (IHEC) to address the concerns, feelings of injustice and the sense of exclusion felt by some segments of Iraqi society. (dpa)