US Secretary of State Colin Powell promised Friday that US military control of Iraq after any war leading to the ouster of President Saddam Hussein would be as brief as possible and that the country would then revert to civilian rule.

Speaking to the just-launched Arabic-language Al-Arabiya news channel, Powell said a military commander would be placed in initial charge after any victory by US-led forces massing in the region.

He also held out the prospect that institutions within Iraq would continue to exist rather than be torn down and rebuilt.

"It is not our goal to destroy Iraq," he told Al-Arabiya, according to a transcript made available to AFP in advance of the broadcast later Friday.

"It is our goal to remove a regime that we believe has wasted the people's treasure on weapons of mass destruction."
Powell said the commander would not only run the military operation but take responsibility for orderly civilian life after any conflict, including ensuring that humanitarian aid gets in.

"You need some central authority initially," he said.

"So we're not going to destroy Iraq, and we think once the regime has been eliminated there will be institutions that remain in place.

"As soon as we can, we would want to get the military commander to transfer real authority to a civilian leadership, perhaps initially of an international character." He said the process would take place as a new leadership was being groomed that would consist both of exiled opposition groups "as well as those who are inside the country who are responsible and committed to the same values that those outside the country are." Powell denied charges that Washington wanted to take over Iraq, saying its track record in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Kosovo "is not one of imperialism, it is one of doing the job, bringing peace, restoring order and getting a responsible government in place.

"When we said we were going to do that in Iraq if it becomes necessary to have a conflict, it is all for the purpose of making Iraq a good neighbour that is not developing weapons, that is not threatening its neighbours, that is committed to the welfare of its people."
Powell's remarks to the Dubai-based TV echo those he made to a US congressional committee on February 13, when he also warned that any country involved in the campaign had to be ready for a long-term stay in Iraq - Sapa-AFP