Iraq Wants Arab States To Send Troops To Protect U.N.

CAIRO, July 22 (AFP) - Iraq called on Arab states Thursday to contribute troops to protect the United Nations and its staff when it returns to the violence-wracked country.
"We asked Egypt to make the necessary contacts with leaders of some Arab and Islamic countries to contribute forces to protect the UN mission," Prime Minister Iyad Allawi told reporters after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Iraq has refused to accept troops from neighbouring countries on its soil, fearing their presence might exacerbate ethnic tensions, but has said they could serve as peacekeepers protecting UN personnel.
Allawi, describing the presence of the United Nations in his country as "crucial", said he received a telephone call from Kofi Annan on Wednesday in which the UN chief expressed a desire to upgrade operations in Iraq.
The United Nations significantly scaled back its presence in the country after a bomb attack on its headquarters last year that killed 22 people including UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello.
De Mello's replacement Ashraf Jehangir Qazi has yet to take up his post in Iraq because of the dire security situation.
Allawi is in Egypt on the second leg of a regional tour, his first foreign trip since his government took power from the US-led occupation at the end of June. His next stop is Syria.