Europeans say U.S. should pay to rebuild Iraq

Two-thirds of European Union citizens think the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq was unjustified and the United States should pay to rebuild the country, an opinion poll taken for the European Commission shows.

The survey, taken in all 15 EU member states in the run-up to last week's Iraq donors' conference in Madrid, found that most Europeans want the United Nations and Iraq's provisional government to manage the reconstruction effort, not Washington.

And most oppose sending their own country's troops to keep peace in Iraq, although opinion on that is more evenly divided.

The poll published on Monday showed overwhelming support for EU humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people but a much narrower majority in favour of financial participation in rebuilding the country.