KUALA LUMPUR - Former US secretary of state Colin Powell on Thursday defended the invasion of Iraq but admitted America's image had taken a beating and called on the Bush administration to be more sensitive.
Powell said the post-invasion insurgency in Iraq was the most difficult challenge facing the world and the United States, but that 12 years of negotiations with the former Iraqi regime had yielded no results.
"Bush and other leaders... felt the matter had to be dealt with," Powell said in a speech to an Asian leadership forum in the Malaysian capital.
But the former top diplomat, often described as a "dove" among the conservative "hawks" dominating the White House, also called on the current administration to be more conciliatory in its approach.
"I would like the government to speak with a softer voice and listen with a more discerning ear," he said.
The former top diplomat conceded that the US has "massive problems" communicating to the world what it stands for.
"There is a strong tide of resentment in the Muslim world against the United States," he said, adding that US President George W. Bush was "not unmindful" of this and was trying to be less strident in his second term in office.
Powell's speech largely addressed criticism levelled by straight-talking former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who spoke before him at the forum.
Mahathir, a vocal critic of the Iraq invasion, said that countries which used military might instead of diplomacy to resolve conflicts only encouraged more violence.
The use of war was a "primitive" solution to international problems, and Iraq was less secure as a result of the invasion, he said.
"The very people who came up with the United Nations as an instrument of peace unfortunately decided to ignore the UN," he said, referring to the US and its allies going to war with Iraq without the world body's backing.
But Powell said military options were necessary in some circumstances, and a reluctance to use them only encouraged adversaries.
"Soft power doesn't solve all the problems faced by nations," he said. "When we are attacked we have to respond."
Powell insisted the US was committed to multilateralism, citing Washington's commitment to talks with North Korea and its efforts to bring rivals India and Pakistan to the table.
"The United States acts in multilateral ways more often than we get credit for," he said.
He outlined three issues which he said were key to winning over the Muslim world: ensuring that Afghanistan remained stable, ending the insurgency in Iraq, and making sure Palestinians were given a fair deal.
06/16/2005 17:14 GMT