"We will not enter Iraq as conquerors. We will not treat the Iraqi people as a defeated nation," [senior aide Zalmay Khalilzad] said, reading from a written statement.

He also said it was unlikely Washington would support creation of a provisional post-Saddam government until after Iraq's "liberation."
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U.S. officials and experts say the success of a war against Iraq would depend heavily on how U.S. forces are received by the Iraqi people and by Iraqi military officers who might be persuaded to rise up against their leader.
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The administration initially turned down a request to have a senior official discuss Iraq at the conference, but reversed course after public criticism for not participating in a program held on Thursday on plans for a post-Saddam Iraq.

» U.S. Assures It Does Not Seek to 'Conquer' Iraq