Democracy still number one priority in Iraq, says Powell
Pakistan Times Foreign Desk Report

WASHINGTON (US): US Secretary of State Colin Powell, now on a visit to Middle East, Saturday said Democracy remains the first priority in Iraq "because the people of Iraq have been liberated from a tyrant- for democracy- liberated for freedom."

He said this in an interview with Al Iraqiya TV, asked is democracy in Iraq still a first priority to the US diplomacy in the Middle East? Secretary Powell said: "We also believe that if Iraq goes through this transformation successfully, and other nations in the region see that there is nothing inconsistent with being a Muslim nation with a strong faith, but also being a nation that practices democracy, that accommodates the needs of the minorities within political system within a society."

"We believe it can be an inspiration and a model to other nations in the region. Why should it not be? Why should anybody reject the concept of people deciding how they should be governed, as opposed to a tyrant deciding how people will be ruled?"

In response to another question, he said the Iraqi government will welcome contributions from any nation in the world that wants to come and help the Iraqi people achieve their dreams. "And if more Muslim nations were able to participate, I think that should be welcome."

He was asked: Given the worsening security situation, do you think that deploying troops in Iraq from Arab and Muslim countries  will improve the security situation, especially in light of threats issued by terrorists against the presence of such troops?

Secretary Powell said, it would show the people of Iraq that the Muslim nations of the world, the Muslim people stand with the people of Iraq. Now, whether we’ll be able to generate that kind of contribution remains to be seen. Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, he stated, came up with the idea of looking at the conditions under which more Muslim troops might come to Iraq, "and we’re examining the ideas that the Crown Prince and other Saudi leaders have put forward, and we’ll see whether or not it generates more contributions."

"The kidnapping problem, of course, is a deterrent," he stated, adding "but we can’t let that stop us." "We can’t allow that to stop our reconstruction efforts and our efforts to secure the countryside- working along with Iraqi security forces- we can’t let that stop us. The stakes are too high. It is too important of a matter for us to be stopped by some terrorists, some leftovers from the old regime who commit murder. We can’t let murderers win this battle. The forces of freedom - free people - have to win this battle."

To the role of America's diplomacy in respect of democratic order in Iraq, Secretary Powell said: "It is not up to us to create this democracy." It was up to the Iraqi people to create this democracy with their own leaders. "The role of American diplomacy is to help the sovereign government of Iraq. We can help by providing reconstruction funds, which help stabilize the country and rebuild the infrastructure. We can work with the United Nations to help Iraqis have an open, free and fair election at the end of the year. American diplomacy can help in generating more funds from the international community to assist Iraq. American diplomacy can help in your relations with your neighbors. So there is a lot that American diplomacy can do. We also have a great deal of experience with democracy."

He, however, said it has to be an Iraqi democracy. It has to be something that deals with the unique culture, history and traditions of the Iraqi people. "So, for this new nation to be on a solid basis, it has to be a basis and foundation that has been built by the Iraqi people and in my discussions with Iraqi leaders and with young people that I’ve spoken to here in Iraq, I see people who understand what freedom and democracy is all about and who are prepared to put it into a political system that will defend the rights of all the people. The American president, the American nation will help them."

But, basically, Powell said, "it is going to be a democracy that is built by the Iraqi people with their own leaders who they select. America will help. America will not dictate. It will not be an American product. It is a democracy that will be made in Iraq, not made in America."

To a question: 'It doesn't have to be at American standards?,' Mr. Powell said: "We believe that democracy should rest on fundamental freedoms." "They are not American values solely. They’re universal values. Why shouldn't any group of people be free to pursue their own destiny? Why shouldn't any group of people be free to decide amongst themselves collectively as to who should lead them, who should be responsible for their future, who should be responsible for their fate." This was not uniquely an American system. This was a system of openness and freedom that is practiced in many places throughout the world.

"And why should Iraq deny itself the opportunity to let its people decide how they will be governed? These can be Iraqi values. These can be Iraqi principles. Why should they not? We believe that these principles are universal and can be applied to any nation that is willing to stand up and say we respect the rights of all of our citizens, However diverse our society may be, there is no reason why we cannot work together with this diversity and have our diversity be a source of strength, not a source of weakness, not a source of fracturing, not a source of conflict."

"There is no reason that Iraq and the Iraqi people cannot have this kind of system resting on these universal values: made in Iraq, for Iraqis and by Iraqis."●