UNITED NATIONS - Iraq's interim prime minister appealed for a major infusion of foreign troops and international aid to help his country hold elections by January, saying a failure to achieve democracy would be a victory for terrorism.

Standing before the leaders of many nations that opposed the U.S.-led war in Iraq, Ayad Allawi on Friday urged the international community to set aside its differences over the legality of the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein and "stand fast by Iraq."

"We need to broaden the base of troop-contributing countries to (the multinational force) so that we would stand more determined and be better equipped to confront terrorism," he said in his first appearance before the U.N. General Assembly.

After his speech, Allawi also reiterated his insistence that the elections will be held on schedule and that "all eligible Iraqis will be able to vote" - assertions that came amid concern some areas in Iraq may be inaccessible to voters due to the insurgency.

"Do not be neutral in this struggle. Do not remain idle, but join us for our sake and for your own sake," Allawi told world leaders from the rostrum where President Bush on Monday had defended his decision to go to war.

"I do recognize that some countries here objected to the war that brought down the regime of Saddam Hussein and his oppression and liberated Iraq, and that is their right," Allawi said.

"But differences over this issue should not remain an obstacle to establishing a new cooperation of relations that would allow Iraq to receive serious international support in order to consolidate security, freedom and democracy in our country," he said.

Allawi's assurances about the January elections came as Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told Congress the elections must be held throughout the country, including areas gripped by violence.

That contradicted Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who said Thursday and again Friday that if insurgents prevent Iraqis from voting in some areas, a partial vote would be better than none at all. Rumsfeld stressed, however, that "every Iraqi deserves the right to vote."

Allawi's speech was warmly received by the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

"This was an excellent opportunity for the prime minister to lay out his agenda before the international community and make an appeal for their support," Ambassador John Negroponte said at the United Nations. "I'm confident elections can and will take place before the end of January."

Allawi, speaking to reporters after meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said there would be "no partial elections" and "every eligible Iraqi will be able to vote."

When asked about the different positions of the U.S. officials, he said, "This is hypothetical, we are talking about an election in January. We are now still in September ... by January I would hope that everything is settled."

A surge of violence, hostage-takings and beheadings in Iraq and the inability of U.S.-led forces to secure volatile parts of the country that are wholly or partly controlled by insurgents, such as Fallujah, have raised doubts about the timing of the vote.