AP – FILE - In this April 13, 2009 file photo Al Franken talks with reporters outside his home in Minneapolis. …

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state's long-running Senate race, paving the way for a resolution in the seven-month fight over the seat.

The high court rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, whose options for regaining the Senate seat are dwindling.

Justices said Franken is entitled to the election certificate he needs to assume office. With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.

Coleman hasn't ruled out seeking federal court intervention.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said the earliest Franken would be seated is next week because the Senate is out of session for the July 4 holiday.

Franken, a former Saturday Night Live star making the leap from life as a left-wing author and radio talker to the Senate, planned a news conference later Tuesday and didn't immediately comment.

Coleman's campaign didn't immediately return a call for comment. Nor did Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose signature is required on the election certificate Franken needs to be seated.

Pawlenty, a Republican, has said he would sign the certificate if ordered to do so by the court. The court's ruling stopped short of explicitly ordering the governor to sign the do*****ent, saying only that Franken was "entitled" to it.

Coleman's appeal hinged largely on whether thousands of absentee votes had been unfairly rejected by local election officials around the state.

The unanimous court wrote that "because the legislature established absentee voting as an optional method of voting, voters choosing to use that method are required to comply with the statutory provisions."

They went on to say that "because strict compliance with the statutory requirements for absentee voting is, and always has been required, there is no basis on which voters could have reasonably believed that anything less than strict compliance would suffice."

环球时报6月29日报道 据英国《卫报》6月29日报道，按照美国与伊拉克去年底签署的驻军地位协议，美军战斗部队将于6月30日前从伊拉克城镇全部撤出，把控制权交给伊拉克安全部队。伊拉克宣布将30日定为国庆日，以纪念美军撤离伊拉克城市。此举令许多美国士兵感觉很不是“滋味儿”。

美军士兵心里不是滋味

伊拉克总理马利基称美军战斗部队撤出伊拉克城市是“伟大胜利”，也是伊拉克主权回归的标志。此前，美军的占领被视为伊拉克与美国维护关系的难题之一。但是伊拉克人的庆祝心情却让美军官兵感觉“不是滋味”，他们认为训练伊拉克部队的努力没有被认可，战斗中付出的数千名美军士兵生命没有得到尊重。伊拉克总理马利基的发言更让美军感到愤怒，日前他称美军撤出是伊拉克成功“击退”入侵者的结果。

撤出伊拉克主要城市后，美军将处于配角地位，但可以在伊拉克邀请下参加联合行动，只是不能独立采取军事行动。从30日开始到2011年中期，美军全部撤离伊拉克前，13万名美军只能呆在伊拉克基地中。驻伊美军指挥官奥德耶诺说，伊拉克的美军基地将从460个下降到320个，而且数量将继续下降。

美军撤离伊拉克人很高兴

为了庆祝美军撤离，伊拉克首都沉浸在一种欢乐气氛中。巴格达广场上的条幅写着：“6月30日，伊拉克的城市将被勇敢的伊拉克人接管”。周围的汽车都被装饰的闪闪发光。

一名伊拉克士兵说：“美国人是占领者，他们来这里没有帮助伊拉克，那就是为什么他们走我们感到很高兴的原因。我们现在依靠自己，我们不需要他们的帮助。我们知道自己的敌人，但我们知道人民会更好。”但他的长官却与他持不同的观点，他说：“美军对伊拉克的军队帮助非常大，我们在战争中和训练中学到很多东西。我们感谢他们的帮助，伊拉克也应该感谢他们”。

当地妇女埃米特拉对美军撤离表示欢迎，她说：“我一直梦想着美国人到来，并且改变一些事情。但是我们的梦想却成了空，现在我很高兴他们离开。”