Kurdistan Observer

Talabani, who heads the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, was referring to the 1991 Gulf War, during which the United States and its allied forces stopped short of taking Baghdad and overthrowing Saddam.

In a telephone interview with United Press International, Talabani, speaking from Washington, said he was optimistic about the ongoing talks between Iraqi opposition groups and U.S. officials that began Friday.

"All departments of the U.S. administration have this time unified their decision regarding Iraq and the Iraqi opposition," he said.

The Iraqis held talks with Marc Grossman, undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, and Douglas Feith, undersecretary of Defense for Policy. They met with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and, briefly, Secretary of State Colin Powell.

They also had a teleconference with Vice President Dick Cheney.

The Bush administration, Talabani said, "seemed more serious this time about forcing a change in Iraq."

But, he also said, they were opposed to any action that would harm the Iraqi people or destroy the country's infrastructure and economy.

The talks also appeared to mark something of a shift in the United States' and Iraqi opposition's views of each other.

In the past, there has been skepticism in U.S. administration circles as to the unity of the diverse Iraqi opposition groups, representing both Sunni and Shia Arabs as well as the Kurds.

And there have been serious reservations in the Iraqi Kurdish leadership and in other Middle Eastern political circles as to how resolute the United States would be in carrying out any military action to enforce a change of regime in Baghdad.

While Talabani seemed reassured on this point, it was not clear if that also applied to Masud Barzani, leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the other main political body in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Barzani was invited to the Washington talks but stayed away. He was represented by his veteran adviser on international affairs, Hoshyar Zibari.

As to the future of a post-Saddam Iraq, Talabani said the United States wants to install democratic, parliamentary rule. It would not back any military coup d'etat that would bring to power another dictator in Iraq, he said.

Talabani stressed the need for coordination among Iraqis, so as to create an independent and democratic country where all could live freely, in peace and security. He reiterated the Kurds' call for a federal system, under which the Kurdish population would enjoy local self-rule.

Others participating in the Washington talks included the umbrella organization, the Iraqi National Congress, as well as the Constitutional Monarchy Movement and the Iraqi National Accord.