Foreign ministers at a conference on the political future of Iraq told the interim Iraqi government today it must make sure as many people as possible take part in January 30th elections.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit. Picture REUTERS/Aladin Abdel Naby
In speeches in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, they said full participation was the key to reconciliation in Iraq, where insurgents are waging war on the government and its US and British patrons.
Some Arab Sunni Muslim groups are threatening to boycott the elections, partly in protest at the foreign occupation. Iraqi officials have played down the threat, however, which could weaken the legitimacy of a post-election government.
The 21 foreign ministers - from the United States, Europe, Japan, China and Arab and Middle East countries - have agreed in advance on a compromise statement that does not condemn the insurgency outright but puts the emphasis on political dialogue.
Egyptian Foreign Minister and host Mr Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the opening session Iraq's salvation lay in making the election successful and ensuring that all "reasonable forces" take part.
"A consensus . . . will not come about except by expanding the scope of dialogue between national forces, bridging the gap which divides the various parties and rejecting the politics of violence and intimidation," he said.
UN Secretary-General Mr Kofi Annan said: "As we approach the elections, every effort must be made to provide incentives for the various Iraqi groups to participate in a national reconciliation process."
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and European Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner made similar appeals.
Foreign Minister Michel Barnier of France, one of the countries that most strongly opposed the invasion, said: "We are determined to make a success of the general elections. . . . They must be held across the country, in all fairness and be open to all those components of Iraqi society which accept the rules of democracy."