The Iraqis, who still suffer from the worsening security situation, are hardly interested in an international conference on Iraq to be held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Nov 22-23.  

"If the conference will not focus on setting a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq according to UN Security Council resolution 1546, the conference would not present anything new that guarantees stability and security for the Iraqi people," said Abdul Jawad Hussein, an engineer.

Many educated Iraqis think that the conference, which would focus on providing proper atmosphere for holding the general elections next January, would only result in recommendations and resolutions that are previously prepared and announced as a draft for the concluding statement.

It would not be more than wishes by the international community to accomplish democracy in Iraq.

The idea of the conference came from Iraq when Iyad Allawi, the interim Iraqi prime minister, during his visit to Cairo, suggested to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak that an international conference on Iraq would be soon held to ensure the elections.

After consultations made by Egypt, the United States announced that Egypt was the first candidate to host the gathering, and the date would be in October, but European countries suggested that it would be held after the US presidential election.

A cleric, who asked not to be named, said that he knew from the media the concluding statement of the conference, stressing that "it is not balanced, for it condemns terrorism, kidnapping and assassination, but it does not mention the right of the Iraqis to resist the occupation, which is a legitimate one according to all international rules, and also they should have made a timetable for the withdrawal of the occupation forces."

The draft statement included vague sentences like "it salutes efforts of the interim government and other leaders of the Iraqi society to widen its political participation by encouraging all the elements that refuse violence to enroll in the political and electoral process in a peaceful way."

"The conference encourages the interim government to hold a meeting in Iraq as soon as possible and before the elections to include representatives of the political map in the Iraqi arena and representatives of the civil society to widen its participation in the elections," said the statement.

Ahmed Hussein, a university professor, termed the conference and a decision made by the Paris Club on Saturday to cancel 80 percent of Iraq's debt as attempts by the international community to help Iraq.

He said that although the canceling of the debts represented a basic element in the reconstruction of Iraq, it would not be priceless.

The price would be the control of the Iraqi economy by the International Monetary Fund, and the canceling of Iraq's debt would be in three stages, none of which would be carried out unless the Iraqi economy improves and is thus certified by the International Monetary Fund, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2004)