BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell, speaking in Hungary, urged allies in Iraq not to bow to guerrillas waging a campaign of hostage-taking and bombing aimed to undermine Iraq's interim government.
Just after dawn, insurgents fired several mortar rounds in Baghdad, killing an Iraqi civilian and wounding 14 foreign soldiers.
Guerrillas have snatched a dozen foreigners in the past week and threatened to kill them, piling pressure on foreign forces and firms to leave Iraq as a 15-month insurgency shows no sign of abating.
Among them was an Egyptian diplomat -- released overnight having been seized as he left a Baghdad mosque last Friday -- who said his captors had apologized and given him gifts when they freed him.
Speaking on a visit to Hungary, which has sent 300 troops to Iraq, Powell called on allies to stay the course.
"Democracy is hard. Democracy is dangerous. And this is the time for us to be steadfast, not get weak in the knees," Powell said in a Hungarian television interview at the start of a week- long tour of Europe and the Middle East.
"We must not allow insurgents, those who will use bombs and kidnapping and beheadings, to triumph."
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Powell's a guy who had a lot of potential. He was unfortunately silenced in many ways.
But he's right about this...
Just after dawn, insurgents fired several mortar rounds in Baghdad, killing an Iraqi civilian and wounding 14 foreign soldiers.
Guerrillas have snatched a dozen foreigners in the past week and threatened to kill them, piling pressure on foreign forces and firms to leave Iraq as a 15-month insurgency shows no sign of abating.
Among them was an Egyptian diplomat -- released overnight having been seized as he left a Baghdad mosque last Friday -- who said his captors had apologized and given him gifts when they freed him.
Speaking on a visit to Hungary, which has sent 300 troops to Iraq, Powell called on allies to stay the course.
"Democracy is hard. Democracy is dangerous. And this is the time for us to be steadfast, not get weak in the knees," Powell said in a Hungarian television interview at the start of a week- long tour of Europe and the Middle East.
"We must not allow insurgents, those who will use bombs and kidnapping and beheadings, to triumph."
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Powell's a guy who had a lot of potential. He was unfortunately silenced in many ways.
But he's right about this...
