Rice calls Iraq worth the investment

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday that Iraq is ''worth the investment'' in American lives and dollars. Rice also said the United States can win in Iraq, although the war so far has been longer and more difficult than she had expected.

In an AP interview, Rice was asked whether an additional USD 100 billion the Pentagon wants for the Iraq and Afghan wars might amount to throwing good money after bad in Iraq. Rice answered that Iraq is "worth the investment" and that "once it emerges as a country that is a stabilizing factor you will have a very different kind of Middle East.'' (AP)