In an interview with Al-Jazeera aired Oct. 21, Alberto Fernandez, director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. State Department, also said the United States was ready to talk with any Iraqi group -- excluding al-Qaida in Iraq -- to reach national reconciliation in the country, wracked by sectarian strife and an enduring insurgency.

"We tried to do our best (in Iraq) but I think there is room for criticism because there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq," he said.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 28, 2006
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