Special report: Tension escalates in
Iraq
Special report: Trial of Saddam
Hussein
UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Most leaders in
the Middle East think the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and its outcome were a "real
disaster" for the region, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Wednesday.
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United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan speaks at a press conference at UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 13, 2006. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
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"Most of the leaders I spoke to felt the invasion of
Iraq and its aftermath have been a real disaster for them," Annan, who returned
from a trip to the region late last week, told a press conference at the UN
headquarters.
"They believe it has destabilized the region," said
the secretary-general. "It cannot stay and it cannot leave."
Annan said many leaders believed the United States
should stay until Iraq improves while others, such as Iran, said it should leave
immediately.
Iran had offered to help the United States leave but
did not go into details, Annan added.
The UN chief's two-week tour to the region, with the
focus on rallying support for Security Council Resolution 1701 ending the
month-long Israel-Hezbollah conflict, also took him to Iran, currently locked in
a bitter nuclear standoff with the West. Enditem
Related:
U.S. denies saying Iraq war causing
"disaster"
WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United States
rejected on Wednesday the saying that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has caused
"a disaster" for the Middle East region.
"I'm not going to engage in a further disputation
with the secretary general of the United Nations, but we disagree with the
characterization," White House spokesman Tony Snow said, while acknowledging
"sectarian violence" in Iraq. Full story
Withdrawal of occupation troops key to
Iraqi problems: Khamenei
TEHRAN, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that withdrawal of foreign occupation
troops would solve problems faced by Iraqi people, the Fars news agency
reported. Full story
U.S. hands over command of Iraqi
forces to gov't
BAGHDAD, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S.-led coalition
forces handed over command of Iraqi forces to the government on Thursday in
Baghdad, which is seen by U.S. officials as a crucial step toward the withdrawal
of coalition troops in Iraq. Full story
