Iraq Envoy Welcomes Baathists in Politics [View All]

[Barrett808]

Iraq Envoy Welcomes Baathists in Politics
By BARRY SCHWEID, AP Diplomatic Writer

WASHINGTON - The incoming Iraqi ambassador laid out a welcome mat to members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party Tuesday even though "they may not be perfect democrats."

"It's very hard for me to say that," Rend al-Rahim Francke, who will represent the newly sovereign Iraq in Washington, said at a news conference.

But, she said, "We need to bring more people in, engage them more. Some of these people may not be my choice as partners. Some of them may be distasteful."

...

Rahim said the first thing Iraq's interim government must do is to win over all Iraqis to "get all Iraqis on its side in the war on terrorism."


She included Baathists among them, she said, emphasizing that she meant "not just former Baathists but current Baathists."

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