Putrajaya (Malaysia): Even as the Muslim world called for an end to US occupation of Iraq within a "specific" timeframe, Washington's hand-picked Interim Governing Council in Iraq on October 13 said American presence was needed and appealed to Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) nations to contribute peacekeeping forces.

"Yes, legally under international law there is an occupying power controlling Iraq and this is the feeling of most of the Muslim countries, they want this state of affairs to be ended as soon as possible, and we share this view, but we believe this needs to be done in a gradual way, in a phased way," said Hoshyar Zebari of the Interim Governing Council who represented Iraq at the Foreign Ministers' meeting of the OIC in Putrajaya.

"Nobody should question the Iraqi people's willingness and desire to regain their sovereignty and full independence, but we understand at the same time it's not easy, it's a complicated issue," Zebari told reporters.

He also strongly opposed the issue of Turkish peacekeeping forces in Iraq saying, "The Governing Council feels it is better not to involve and engage any of Iraq's neighbouring countries in peacekeeping missions because of the sensitivities of the whole issue."

At the same time he said international peacekeepers were required to strengthen the security situation in Iraq but regretted that not many Muslim nations were forthcoming in pledging their troops for the operations in his country.

PTI