US: The United States should consult internationally on its plans for Iraq given the potentially devastating consequences of a failure in its policies there, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said.
Speaking at a Nato event in Brussels yesterday, Mr Kissinger warned against the emergence of "a Jihadist government" in Baghdad, saying it would threaten security far beyond Iraq and the Middle East.
"A catastrophic outcome in Iraq would affect directly or indirectly all members of the [ Nato] alliance as well as countries from southeast Asia to the northern hemisphere," Mr Kissinger told an audience of Nato officials and soldiers.
"That is why the next phase of Iraq policy in my view requires some degree of intensive consultation about its direction.
"Whether to do this in the Nato council or via some more restricted contact group goes beyond the scope of this speech."
Mr Kissinger said Washington should be ready after Iraqi polls due on December 15th to co-operate more in the "political reconstruction" of the country.
Nato last year launched a training mission for top Iraqi officers, but opponents of the war, notably France and Germany, have resisted any wider role.