Iraq's new prime minister said Wednesday he was not ashamed of having worked with the CIA and other foreign intelligence services to help topple Saddam Hussein.
Allawi was asked by a reporter after a Cabinet meeting whether his Iraqi National Accord movement maintained ties with American intelligence during the last years of Saddam's rule.
"Myself and my organization were part of the Iraqi political movement, the liberation movement of Iraq, and because of our efforts to destabilize the regime of Saddam Hussein we were in touch with a lot of agencies, including the government of the United States, and we were in touch with a lot of intelligence agencies across the world who supported the struggle of the Iraqi people to get rid of Saddam," Allawi said, according to The AP.
He said it was necessary for the Iraqi opposition "as a liberation movement to get in touch with these institutions and these governments."
"I was the head of the political organization and I was in touch with at least 15 intelligence services across the world and the region so there is not problem there," he added. "We do not feel ashamed of being in touch ... to get rid of the evil regime of Saddam."
Meanwhile, US President Bush called for a broader NATO role in Iraq.
His appeal came as leaders of the Group of Eight powers -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- met at a resort off the coast of the US state of Georgia.
Although the United States, Britain and most of NATO's 26 members have soldiers in Iraq, the alliance has only a limited formal role in the occupied country.
"There's going to be some constraints, obviously, " Bush told reporters at the Sea Island resort. "A lot of NATO countries are not in a position to commit any more troops; we fully understand that." (Albawaba.com)
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