U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the United States has made mistakes in Iraq, but it was not a mistake to oust Saddam Hussein or to push for democracy in the Middle East.
In an interview Saturday with the British Broadcasting Company, Rice said "the birth of democracy is sometimes difficult."
Earlier she and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw conferred with Muslim community leaders in Straw's home city of Blackburn. Rice also visited the nearby city of Liverpool.
The U.S. top diplomat is in Britain for two days at Straw's invitation following his visit to Rice's hometown last year.
Hundreds of anti-war protesters have followed Rice throughout her stay.
