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German conservative opposition head slams America`s Iraq policy

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Berlin, May 5, IRNA -- The head of the German conservative opposition 
has, for the first time ever, lashed out at America`s brutal policies 
in Iraq, DPA reported Wednesday. 
"There was apparently too much optimism that a (US) military 
intervention would turn smoothly into a democracy," said the 
chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, Angela 
Merkel who was a staunch defender of the United States invasion of 
Iraq. 
"The Americans were confident that they would be able to bring 
democracy to Iraq, the way it happened in Germany after 1945. But 
Iraq, unlike Germany, has no democratic tradition to link it to a 
transition," she added. 
Pointing to US torture reports of Iraqi prisoners, Merkel said, 
"The credibility of democratic values is at stake here. The reports 
of abuse and torture are horrific. This must be cleared up bluntly." 
The CDU leader has faced growing criticism within her own party 
for her earlier die-hard pro-US stance. 
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