British Prime Minister Tony Blair appealed today for more international support for Iraq and urged quick reform of world bodies such as the United Nations, World Bank and IMF to tackle future crises like Iraq.
Tony Blair
Many nations, including Germany and France, opposed the invasion of Iraq, and Mr Blair said it was time not only for reconciliation in Baghdad but in the international community.
"The war, I know, split the world. The struggle of Iraqis for democracy should unite it," said Blair in a foreign policy speech at Georgetown University.
Britain was Washington's biggest ally in the March 2003 invasion, and both Mr Blair and US President George W. Bush's poll numbers have tumbled domestically as the death toll among coalition soldiers and Iraqis has soared.
The weapons of mass destruction used to justify the March 2003 invasion of Iraq have never been found and the war has been widely criticized in the international community.
With tens of billions of dollars spent in Iraq and the reconstruction promised to Iraqis faltering, both nations are hoping other countries will put past differences over the invasion behind them and start sharing the load in Iraq.
"I don't want to repeat or to reopen past arguments. I want to advocate a new concord to displace the old contention," said Mr Blair, who visited Baghdad this week to meet the new government.
Mr Blair said nations may not agree with the original decision to invade Iraq, be critical of mistakes made by the coalition or wonder if it was all worth the sacrifice.
"But surely we must all accept this is a genuine attempt to run the race of liberty," said Mr Blair.
Both nations are under pressure to pull out their troops but Mr Bush and Mr Blair made clear in a news conference today night that the time was not yet right. The two leaders are set to meet later on Friday before Blair ends his two-day visit.
The British prime minister, who is seen as more popular in the United States than at home, echoed Mr Bush's view that the international community must see the struggle for security in Iraq as part of a wider global struggle against terrorism.