Spice Girls are not going to Baghdad during their reunion tour despite campaigns encouraging people to vote for Iraqi capital

The Famous British pop group Spice Girls are not going with concerts to Baghdad on their reunion tour despite multiple support of the idea from people on the Internet.

Photo: Spice Girls are not going to Baghdad during their reunion tour despite campaigns encouraging people to vote for Iraqi capital

Toronto, Canada, beat out the war-torn Iraqi capital in a contest where the girl band asked the public to vote on the Internet to choose any city for them to play an extra show, the band said in a statement Friday.

Several Web sites began campaigns encouraging people to vote to send the Spice Girls to Baghdad. As a result, Baghdad received thousands of votes and emerged as one of the strongest contenders, a source close to the band was quoted as telling Britain's Mirror newspaper.

However, the lakeside Canadian city won after fans used the social networking Web site Facebook to mobilize votes. A Spice Girls spokesman credited dozens of Facebook groups - the largest of which had more than 23,000 members - with helping the city win.

"We are delighted to be going to Toronto," the Spice Girls said in statement. "We have such incredible fans there and we are amazed at such a positive reaction. It's a great place and we can't wait to get back there."

The girls were prepared to go anywhere in world, "be it Baghdad or Antarctica," a spokesman was quoted as telling the Mirror.

The Spice Girls' publicists would not say Friday how many votes Toronto or Baghdad received.

The five-member band is set to begin its world tour on Dec. 2 in Vancouver, Canada. The tour will end Jan. 24 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Toronto show will be scheduled for sometime in January, the band said.