Poll shows Baghdad residents optimistic

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Nearly two-thirds of Baghdad residents say the removal of Saddam Hussein was worth the hardships they have endured, a report said Wednesday.

Despite the collapse of government and civic institutions, looting and violence and shortages of water and electricity, 67 percent of 1,178 Iraqis told a Gallup survey team within five years, their lives will be better than before the U.S.-led invasion.

Only 8 percent of those queried said they believed their lives would be worse off as a result of the military campaign to remove Saddam and his Baath Party leadership, the New York Times reported.

The survey, which was conducted in late August and early September, cut across the ethnically diverse landscape of the capital.

The results revealed Iraqis in the capital still maintain a great deal of skepticism about the motives of the United States and Britain.

Residents said they hold France and its president, Jacques Chirac, in higher regard than President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.