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US should not have attacked Iraq till inspections were over: Clinton

Speaking to a group of students of American University in Dubai (AUD) yesterday, he said: "We ought to get Turkey, which is a Muslim nation, involved and step into the Iraq rebuilding process. We've got to target the UN and get as many successful countries as possible, including the UAE, to supervise a significant part of rebuilding the Iraqi economy."

"In my view we should have let the UN inspection team finish its job before making a decision to start the conflict. What we want Iraq to be is a successful democratic, peaceful and a stable country. I think we should reconcile the Sunnis and Shias and the Kurds. The US should play a role in Iraq as it has spent a lot of money. I don't think we should dominate it, but share the responsibilities in re-building it," Mr Clinton said.

"The Israelis and Palestinians in the brief interim period in 1998 shared their responsibilities and security forces, among other things which brought them to realise the significance of interdependence in the region. But, once this was abandoned with the rejection of the peace process, hundreds of young lives were lost on both sides and they had no shared benefits anymore. Palestinians were poorer than they were and they believed their differences were more important than what they had in common," he said, urging the youth to redefine the character of interdependence. Elaborating on the Palestinian-Israel conflict, he expressed the need to break out of the predictable pattern to make peace. "Both sides need to do this. As there is no deal that will satisfy extreme positions, a multinational force is needed to deal with it. The focus should be to get the peace process moving and there is a need to figure out some modality that ensures immediate benefits to young Palestinians," he said.

Mr Clinton said: "Islam was the fastest growing religion in the US. Today America has twice as many Muslims as Jews," he disclosed, urging the need for more cultural understanding of Muslims among the Americans.

"In my eight years of office as the US President, I have emphasised on this issue, particularly because of the growing racial, religious and ethnic diversity in the US." His Irish roots and having been raised in an environment free of any form of discrimintaion, he said, had helped him to take his beliefs to the highest office.

Mr Clinton commended General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, for his achievements in promoting multiculturalism and economic development, and cited Dubai as an ideal partner for bridging the gap of misunderstanding between US and the Arab world.

Mr Clinton was on a brief visit to Dubai yesterday to launch the William J. Clinton Scholars programme at AUD and spoke to university's international students about overcoming misconceptions.

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