Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday at a business conference here that the war in Iraq "could be considered a civil war," the conference organizer said.

Powell made the comment during a question-and-answer session after a keynote speech, according to David Hellaby, who organized the "Leaders in Dubai Business Forum." No cameras were allowed in to record the talk, but Hellaby was present and issued a press release quoting Powell.

Powell could not be immediately reached for comment. Hellaby said Powell was leaving Dubai immediately after Wednesday's conference.

Powell's comments come in sharp contrast to those of President Bush, who said Tuesday that Iraq is not in a civil war. Bush blamed al-Qaida extremists for the daily violence there.

Bush said Iraqis had "a chance to fall apart and they didn't."

The issue has become the focus of intense political debate in the United States in recent days. Powell is a retired general who served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and was secretary of state during Bush's first term in office.

During his speech, Hellaby said, Powell said the Iraq war had three phases. The first, the invasion phase, went as planned. But the second phase, the military occupation, was "badly handled," Powell said, according to the conference organizer.

Mistakes during the second phase led to the third, "which could be considered a civil war," Powell told the conference, according to Hellaby.

The session was moderated by CNN International correspondent Hala Gorani, but no cameras were allowed, Hellaby said. The forum drew 2,000 business people from around the Middle East.

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