Advanced Search
Business | Metro | Nation | World | Sports | Features | Specials | Delta Stories
 
 
Iraqi president calls on all factions to join national dialogue
1/2/2005 21:07

Iraq's interim President Ghazi al-Yawar said Tuesday that all factions are welcomed to join the reconciliatory dialogue and the efforts to rebuild Iraq.

"We must all become involved in dialogue and reconciliation,"Yawar told a press conference in Baghdad, which was his first public speech after Sunday's elections.

"There are no winners or losers," he said, adding that those who did not take part in the elections are still welcome to join the process of forming a new transitional government and writing the permanent constitution.

"All those who were not involved in violence must be part of the political process," he said.

Meanwhile, Yawar termed the withdrawal of foreign forces fromthe country as "complete nonsense" in the chaos and vacuum of power.

He said foreign forces should leave only after Iraq's security forces are build up.

"The more we approach a security build-up, the more we contribute to decreasing the foreign forces in Iraq," the president said.

"There were some mistakes in the occupation, but to be fair, I think all in all the contribution of the foreign forces in Iraq was positive," Yawar said.

The president was one of the first who cast ballot in Sunday's parliamentary polls.

Raising his finger which was still seen stained with the indelible purple ink, Yawar said Tuesday he was proud that he had taken part in the elections.



 Xinhua