Iraqi exiles meet in Spain
Saturday, April 26, 2003 Posted: 6:14 AM EDT (1014 GMT)      .................................................................

Aznar kicked-off the Spain talks  		 MADRID, Spain (Reuters) -- More than 100 Iraqis in exile from across the opposition political spectrum gathered in Madrid for a weekend of talks on the future democracy in Iraq. 

Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and Foreign Minister Ana Palacio, firm supporters of the U.S.-led war to topple President Saddam Hussein, inaugurated the conference and offered support in the rebuilding of Iraq. 

Members of the long-exiled, pro-U.S. Iraqi National Congress, the Shi'ite Muslim party Al Dawa, the Iraqi Communist Party, Kurdish parties and other groups will take part in the meeting. 

U.S. administrator in Iraq Jay Garner has said the process of forming a government run by Iraqis would begin by the end of next week. 
Iraqi Communist Party leader Subhi Al Gumaily told Reuters he was optimistic about the conference outcome. Pre-war meetings of Iraqi opposition groups often ended in disagreement. 

"There are different approaches and different interests but we can talk to each other in a civilized way," Al Gumaily said. 

"It's about discussion and guaranteeing democracy." 

Spain raised its international profile by backing the United States in the war in Iraq and earlier this week Palacio signaled Spain might hold a Middle East peace conference. 

Madrid hosted historic U.S.-brokered talks in 1991, when Israel sat down for the first time with its Arab neighbors.