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International conference on Iraq winds up
The world's main powers and countries across the Middle East put on a rare show of unity Tuesday to support elections in Iraq that UN chief Kofi Annan termed "critical" to quell rampant violence. The stand was enshrined in a joint declaration approved by the United States, France and other Western states, the interim government in Iraq, as well as Iran, Turkey, several Arab countries, China and Russia at the close of a two-day international conference in this Red Sea resort.Annan said the Iraqi elections scheduled for January 30 were a "critical part of Iraq's transition" and it was "critically important that they take place in a conducive environment. He said the chronic insecurity gripping Iraq since the US-led invasion that divided the world last year was "the greatest impediment to a successful transition process." The foreign ministers and representatives in the conference effectively rubber-stamped a declaration whose wording had been worked out in preceding Cairo meetings marked by much wrangling between the United States and France. The communiqué stresses a UN role in preparing the elections, condemns "terrorism", kidnapping and the murder of civilians, and urges cooperation or at least "non-interference" from neighbouring countries. However, while saying the deployment of US-led troops in Iraq "is not open-ended", it gives no timetable for their withdrawal, as some countries had been seeking. Posted by: Fred 2004-11-23 |
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