Annan sees 'grave danger' of Iraq civil war

UNITED NATIONS, Sep 18 (Reuters) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his second gloomy message in a week, said today Iraq was in grave danger of descending into civil war if present trends continue.

Opening an international support conference for Iraq, Annan said: ''If current patterns of alienation and violence persist much longer, there is a grave danger that the Iraqi state will break down, possibly in the midst of full-scale civil war.'' His statement followed a comment upon return from a Middle East tour last week that most leaders in the region considered the US-led invasion of Iraq had been a ''disaster''.

''The most immediate task is to broaden support for the kind of action -- at the national, regional and international levels -- that can bring Iraq back from the brink,'' Annan said.

He urged Iraqi leaders to overcome sectarian and regional tensions by seeking consensus on unresolved constitutional issues such as federalism and revenue-sharing.

''Peace in Iraq will ultimately depend on domestic resolve and regional cooperation. But it will not come about without ever more urgent international engagement,'' Annan added, urging Iraq's neighbors to cooperate more to stabilize the country.

In response, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said the government's security plan was showing signs of success, with a marked drop in reported incidents of violence in Baghdad in the last month.

However daily bombings have continued in the provinces, and at least 35 people were killed in one such attack at a police recruitment center in central Iraq today as politicians wrangled over federalism plans.

Talabani said the government recognized that security ministries had been infiltrated ''by criminal elements and members of terrorist groups'' and was seeking ways to demobilize militias and give their members retraining and jobs.

They were speaking at a conference of the International Compact for Iraq, comprising the United Nations, major donors and the Baghdad government, which was launched in July to give economic and political support for reform and reconstruction.

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