(Karen) Hughes Defends Women's Status in Iraq [View All]

[sabra]

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-turkey-us,0,2842702.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

Hughes Defends Women's Status in Iraq


ANKARA, Turkey -- The United States' new public relations chief, Karen Hughes, responded to Turkish criticism over the Iraq war by telling women's rights advocates Wednesday that Iraqi women were being treated better now than they were under Saddam Hussein.

Hughes visited Turkey during her final stop on a Mideast mission aimed at improving America's image in the Muslim world. But the criticism she faced while visiting a women's group showed how difficult her task will be.

Turks have been increasingly critical of U.S. policy, with a majority saying the Iraq war has made the world a more dangerous place. In a June poll by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, only 17 percent of Turks said they supported the U.S. war on terrorism.

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Fatma Nevin Vargun, a Kurdish women's rights activist said, "I am ashamed that the 21st century is the century of war."
She called on the United States to stop wars "that lead to poverty," and criticized the arrest Monday of peace activist Cindy Sheehan during a rally in front of the White House.