WASHINGTON, Feb 15: Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that if the United States won the war in Iraq, it would implement an Afghan model there, replacing the Saddam regime with a government of national consensus.

“If the United States were to lead an international coalition in Iraq, we would be guided by two commitments: to stay as long as necessary; and to leave as soon as possible,” Mr Rumsfeld told reporters on Friday.

Offering Afghanistan as a model for US behaviour after hostilities, Mr Rumsfeld described US intentions to be peaceful and constructive, attempting to liberate Iraqis from President Saddam Hussein and put them in control of their government.

“The goal would not be to impose an American-style template on Iraq, but rather to create conditions where Iraqis can form a government in their own unique way,” he said.

“From the outset of the war (in Afghanistan), our guiding principle has been that Afghanistan belongs to the Afghans. The United States does not aspire to own it. Or run it.”

The Pentagon plans to install a US general to administer Iraq during what is expected to be a two-year occupation, according to a UPI report. During that time, Iraqis would be called upon to help draft a new constitution, revise the country’s laws and help administer the government.