Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told US President George W. Bush on Monday that he was deeply concerned about the crisis in Iraq and urged Washington to hand back sovereignty "as soon as possible."
"On Iraq, I conveyed to the president our serious concerns about the current state of affairs, particularly in the security and the humanitarian areas," Mubarak told his host after talks at Bush's beloved ranch near here.
"I further stressed the importance of restoring Iraq's sovereignty as soon as possible within a context that preserves its territorial integrity and unites all Iraqis toward a common future," he added.
Mubarak, who skipped what was traditionally an annual trip to the United States last year to protest the war in Iraq, said efforts to expand the UN role in Iraq "is an important step that should be further encouraged."
Bush insisted that the US-led coalition "will transfer sovereignty," though he did not mention the June 30 target date for that handover, and said that a top UN official was working with Iraqis in Baghdad "to help devise the system through which we transfer sovereignty."
He also downplayed the impact of recent deadly violence in Iraq on efforts to shift Iraq to self-rule, saying the insurgents were a tiny minority in a population largely eager for the US-backed power-transfer plan to come through.
"The situation in Iraq has improved. But you're right, it was a tough week because there was lawlessness and gangs that were trying to take the law in their own hands," he said.
"I strongly believe that by far the vast majority of Iraqis want there to be a peaceful country and a free country," he said.
"We just can't let a few people - and I say 'a few,' listen, there was enough to cause harm - but a few relative to the rest of the people. You just can't let, you know, a small percentage of the Iraqi people decide the fate of everybody and that's what you're seeing," said Bush.
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