Allawi calls on "spectator" countries to get involved in Iraq
Yahoo News ^ | November 4, 2004
 

ROME (AFP) - In a sideswipe at France and Germany on the eve of an EU summit, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi called on "spectator" countries to get off the fence and get involved in stabilizing Iraq (news - web sites).

Speaking after hour-long discussions with Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi during a lightning visit to Rome, Allawi lambasted countries perceived as mere observers as his government seeks to buttress security ahead of elections which he said would take place in "late January".
 
 

"I want to take this opportunity to call on the countries which are content to have a spectator role, to help us to build a better Iraq," he said in a brief statement to reporters Thursday, after his talks with the Italian premier whom he praised for Italy's support.
 
 

The interim Iraqi leader said the situation in Iraq could not be resolved "without the help of all the important countries".
 
 

Later, asked if he specifically meant France and Germany, Allawi told AFP: "Yes. But we want to build better relationships with France and Germany and forget the past, and start fresh with each other".
 
 

That will include seeking to build strong economic and business relationships with these countries, said Allawi, who led a delegation which included several business specialists.
 
 

"When we look ahead we don't want to begin by asking 'who was with us and who was against us?'"
 
 

The two European powers strongly opposed the invasion to topple Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) and have refused to send troops to join the US-led coaltion.
 
 

Allawi's comments came shortly before he flew out to Brussels for a meeting Friday with European leaders, including France's President Jacques Chirac and Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany, on the sidelines of Friday's EU summit.
 
 

The Iraqi's visit to Europe comes on the heels of US President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s victory in a divisive election overshadowed by the conflict, after which he is expected to seek to repair frayed relations with European states whom he had clashed with over Iraq.
 
 

He told reporters he was "not worried" about the possibility that the US electorate's reaction could damage Washington's commitment to his country.
 
 

"We know that the United States is committed, the people of the US have helped Iraq and will continue to do so."
 
 

"We believe the United States will maintain course until the Iraqi forces are capable of handling the threats and facing the challenges," he said.
 
 

The lightning visit to Rome, which began late on Wednesday, also took in a trip to the Vatican (news - web sites) for an audience with Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II, a trenchant critic of the US-led invasion of Iraq.
 
 

The pope reminded him that Baghdad's move to democracy should be "truly representative" and respect ethnic and religious diversity.
 
 

He said efforts by the Iraqi people to establish democratic institutions should be "truly representative and committed to defending the rights of all, in complete respect for the ethnic and religious diversity which has always been a source of enrichment for your country".
 
 

Earlier, Allawi's discussions with Berlusconi focused on the political and economic reconstruction of his country.
 
 

Berlusconi said he had reassured Allawi that the 3,000 Italian troops deployed in Iraq would remain there as long as the Baghdad government required them.
 

Italy would not withdraw its troops "otherwise we would have to withdraw from all the other countries in which there are Italian soldiers, which naturally we cannot do."
 

Rome has some 10,000 troops deployed on peace-enforcement missions abroad, mostly in the Balkans.
 

Berlusconi said Italy, as the world's sixth biggest economy, "must assume its responsibility to defend democracy and spead it across the world".
 

"The situation in Iraq is not what we see on television or in the newspapers". There is also the reality of regular, normal life. We have to strive so this normal life becomes a 100 percent reality."
 

Berlusconi said he had sought Allawi's assistance in recovering the body of Enzo Baldoni, the Italian hostage who was shot dead by his captors in August.