Iraqi Kurdish leaders appealed to world leaders today to let Iraqi opposition groups piece together a pluralist, democratic government that could replace President Saddam Hussein's government if he were removed.
Addressing a conference on the future of Kurds in Iraq, the two heads of the Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq said they were confident talks next month to hammer out a power-sharing accord between six Iraqi opposition groups could succeed.
"We don't want to see a military ruler ruling Iraq, whether it's an Iraqi dictator or a foreign military ruler. Our goal is to set up a multi-ethnic, pluralist and democratic Iraq," Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) head Mr Massoud Barzani said.
Mr Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) head Mr Jalal Talabani said Kurds wanted to be part of a federal Iraq giving them a degree of autonomy and a say in central government.
"Iraqi people must be able to elect their own government. We want to remain within the framework of a democratic and federal Iraq. And we want to be real partners in the central government," Mr Talabani, who jointly administers Kurdish northern Iraq with Barzani, told the conference.
"The Iraqi opposition is stronger than it looks from the outside. If the international community support us, we can do it. Both Kurdish parties are committed to the (December) meeting succeeding because it is such an important event for us."
The United States has threatened to overthrow Saddam if Baghdad fails to cooperate with a tough United Nations Security Council resolution giving Iraq a last chance to get rid of any weapons of mass destruction.
Washington has mediated to help six Iraqi opposition groups discuss a future leadership, but has not committed itself to backing them if Saddam's ruling Baath party is ousted.