Iraq occupation Bush's "mother of all mistakes"

President Bush delivers a farewell address from the White House in Washington, January 15, 2009.

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Imposing formal U.S. occupation on Iraq instead of quickly putting Iraqis in charge was the "mother of all mistakes," but most Iraqis still see George W. Bush as brave for toppling Saddam, Iraq's Foreign Minister said.

In an interview to discuss the legacy of the outgoing U.S. president who invaded his country in 2003, Hoshiyar Zebari said years of sectarian fighting in which tens of thousands died were a consequence of Bush's decision to impose an occupation.

The Bush administration also made other mistakes in Iraq, such as presiding over the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal.

The unpopular Iraq war weighs heavily on Bush's legacy, which he has tried to polish in the days leading to Barack Obama inauguration as the new U.S. president on Tuesday.

"I think the biggest mistake was changing the mission from liberation to occupation. The mother of all mistakes I would say was security council resolution 1483," Zebari said, referring to a May 2003 resolution that recognized the ruling authority set up by the United States and Britain as "occupying powers."

"That was the beginning of all the follow-up mistakes and violence and divisions and conflicts that have erupted in the country," he told Reuters in an interview in Kuwait.

After toppling Saddam in 2003, Washington imposed a formal military occupation which lasted for more than a year, during which time the country rapidly descended into violence.

Hostility to the occupation was the rallying cry of both Sunni Arab insurgents and Shi'ite militia who rose up against U.S. forces in 2003-04. The sectarian armed groups turned on each other in 2005, leading to even greater bloodshed that finally eased after Bush sent more troops in 2007.

Shocking images of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in western Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison -- such as naked prisoners forced into sexually humiliating poses -- also fueled insurgent violence, Zebari said.

"Abu Ghraib was another major blunder, a moral failure the Bush administration committed, as they are admitting, very serious mistakes ... during and after the war," Zebari said.

Many Iraqis, whether Sunni or Shi'ite, blame Bush personally for the tens of thousands who died in the years of warfare.

Last month, an Iraqi reporter threw shoes at Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq, a major insult that made the journalist a hero to many Iraqis angry at the U.S. presence.

However, President Jalal Talabani praised Bush this month for the "courageous and historic" decision to oust Saddam.

Security has improved dramatically in Iraq in the past year, partly because Bush ordered in extra troops. Under a pact which took effect on New Year's Day, Washington pledged to withdraw its remaining 140,000 troops within three years.

The lead-up to provincial elections on January 31 -- Iraq's second election cycle since the U.S. invasion -- has been relatively calm, and candidate participation very high.

Overall, Bush's Iraq legacy would be positive, Zebari said.

"I think the majority of Iraqis are grateful to the Bush administration for helping ... get rid of the Saddam dictatorship," he said.

"Many Iraqis who support change, who embrace democracy, who believe in democracy, appreciate President Bush's role and brave decision to help to do a regime change in Iraq."

(Editing by Louise Ireland)