TOKYO — Ambassador John Roos welcomed last week's U.S.-Japan accord to move a key Marine base to a less crowded part of Okinawa, but said there was still plenty of work to do to carry out the plan, which is vigorously opposed by island residents.

Roos said relations between the two allies remains strong despite a months-long dispute over where to move Marine Air Station Futenma, located in the middle of a city in Okinawa, which hosts more than half the 47,000 U.S. troops in Japan under a security pact.

Ties with Washington were strained in recent months as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama sought to relocate Futenma outside the island. But after finding no viable alternatives, he last week ended up sticking with a 2006 agreement with Washington to move it to less populated, northern part of the island.

Roos declined to say how Washington might deal with intense local opposition to the move. But he did say the U.S. is committed to reducing the impact of American military bases on Okinawa, pointing out the Futenma move is part of a broader reorganization plan that will send 8,000 Marines and their dependents to the U.S. territory of Guam.

BAGHDAD — Iraq's Supreme Court today ratified the results of the nation's March 7 parliamentary election, officially declaring the secular Iraqiya alliance the vote's biggest winner.The televised announcement by the court's top judge marked the first major step toward resolving Iraq's election crisis and the seating of a new parliament. But the government impasse remains far from over, and it could still take weeks, perhaps months, before lawmakers elect new leaders.The March vote left the country without a clear winner, as none of Iraq's major political coalitions won an outright majority in the 325-seat legislature.The confusion has led to nearly three months of ballot recounts, charges of fraud and court challenges, nearly all of which brought by the State of Law alliance led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.