CAIRO, Oct. 30 (Xinhuanet) -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that there is no justification whatsoever for bloody insurgency in Iraq and described attacks against Iraqi forces as "barbarous activity."

    In an interview with Egypt's Nile TV aired on Saturday, Powell said that Iraq's interim government is recognized by the United Nations and attacks against it lacks legitimacy.

    "They (insurgents) are resisting the interim government that has been put in place with the support of the United Nations SecurityCouncil, a Security Council resolution," he said.

    "What legitimacy can they have? Attacking the interim government that enjoys the benefit of the UN resolution? " he asked. The US-led coalitions forces, which invaded Iraq in March 2003,have been deemed by Iraqi militants as an occupation power. Insurgents have carried out bombings and kidnappings to drive themout of Iraq.

    The fledging Iraqi security forces were also increasingly attacked as the insurgents considered them as collaborators with the occupation power.

    The coalition forces have called the insurgents terrorists or criminals and struck hard against them.

    On an international conference on Iraq to be hosted by Egypt next month, Powell said that the gathering would be an opportunity for rallying international support for Iraq's interim government.

    He said, "... we would hope at the conference in Sharm el-Sheikh there will be an acknowledgement that the Iraqi interim government is deserving the support of its neighbors and the international community so they can move toward elections in January."

    The conference, set to open on Nov. 23 in the Egyptian Red Sea resort, is expected to be attended by Iraq and its neighbors, Egypt, the Group of Eight, China, the United Nations, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the European Union.

    Egyptian officials said earlier that a meeting of foreign ministers of Iraq's neighboring countries would be held in Sharmel-Sheikh on Nov. 22, one day ahead of the international conference.

    Egypt, a major political player in the Middle East, hopes that the gathering would hammer out a unified international stance on Iraq. Enditem