ANDOVER - Democratic and Republican 5th Congressional District candidates last night outlined their foreign policy visions, tackling the war in Iraq, the U.S. image abroad, international trade and combating global warming.

And, with the race intensifying, Rep. Barry Finegold, D-Andover, asked his Democratic rivals not to engage in negative campaigning. He also called on EMILY's List, a Washington, D.C., pro-choice group that supports Niki Tsongas, to stay out of the race.

The debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, was held at Phillips Academy's Cochran Chapel. The five Democrats and two Republicans shared the same stage for the second time in a week but sat at separate tables.

On Iraq, Democratic Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue said the war has to end.

"We must end our involvement in Iraq, and that must be done immediately," said Donoghue, who noted it would take months to get troops out of the country.

Niki Tsongas, wife of late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas, said adopting a timetable like Congressman Jim McGovern's plan to begin withdrawing troops in 90 days would send a strong message to the Iraqi government that the U.S. won't police their civil war.

Finegold wants "to get out as quickly as anyone else does" but doesn't want to leave without a plan in place. Fearing sectarian and ethnic hatred will explode, Finegold first wants to see the country divided into Kurdish, Sunni and Shiia regions.

Rep. James Eldridge, D-Acton, said the presence of U.S. troops is causing much of the violence in Iraq. But he also blamed congressional Democrats for not ending the war sooner.

"It's not just the disastrous policy of President Bush," Eldridge said, "but the Democratic Congress not fulfilling the vision of what the role in the whole Middle East should be."

Thomas Tierney, a Framingham Republican, said American troops have to be withdrawn because "the surge isn't working." However, he said any timetable for withdrawal should not be made public.

Rep. James Miceli, D-Wilmington, has called a public timetable for withdrawal "sheer lunacy." Last night, he said Congress should wait until Gen. David Petraeus has reported on the surge's effectiveness.

"We've got to listen to our military," Miceli said. "We can't as congressmen become armchair generals."

Dracut Republican Jim Ogonowski, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel who thinks the war was a mistake, nonetheless said pulling U.S. troops out before Iraq was stabilized would invite regional chaos, requiring the U.S. to return.

"We'll be back in even greater numbers," Ogonowski said.

He characterized withdrawal as "cut and run," leading to one of the few heated exchanges of an otherwise civil evening.

"I would question someone who recognizes the war in Iraq was a mistake but doesn't have the courage to bring the troops home now," Eldridge said.

When Ogonowski reiterated that a premature exit would invite Iran and Turkey carving up Iraq, Tierney criticized Ogonowski for using "the polarizing language ... of cut and run."

On the U.S. image abroad, Democrats said Bush administration foreign policy has soured the world on the United States. Tsongas said "we have to elect a Democratic president and send him or her on a long world tour" to improve America's image.

Ogonowski said the U.S. squandered an opportunity after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to strengthen foreign relations.

"Unfortunately, we made a mistake in Iraq and world opinion has grown worse," Ogonowski said.

Eldridge said the U.S. has signed international trade agreements that have left foreign countries impoverished and said America should adopt "fair trade" policies that encourage living wages and foster human rights and environmental protection.

Eldridge also said to gain leverage in trade talks with China, the U.S. should threaten to boycott the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

Donoghue joined Eldridge in knocking the North American Free Trade Agreement and other trade pacts for hurting U.S. workers. They said Congress needs to negotiate those deals so they are more favorable to Americans.

Environmental policy found Democrats and Republicans largely on the same page, supporting increased automobile efficiency standards and greater use of alternative fuels.

Ogonowski said the American reliance on foreign oil holds us hostage to other countries.

Finegold touted his plan to spend $100 billion over five years to have government buildings and vehicles run on alternative fuels. Donoghue said the U.S. government needs to be a leader, and called for a "renewable energy Czar."

Toward the end of the evening, Finegold called on his Democratic rivals to sign a pledge not to engage in negative campaigning, including mailings and advertisements.

Finegold also called on EMILY's List and other "interest groups" to stay out of the 5th District race. Finegold was targeted by EMILY's List after twice mistakenly supporting a Statehouse bill curbing abortion access.

EMILY's List last week unleashed a fundraising e-mail saying Tsongas was the victim of negative attacks by her opponents.

Tsongas was the only candidate who said she would sign the pledge. She said she would sign the pledge and send a copy to EMILY's List. She said EMILY's List is an independent group she could not control.

Donoghue, who has drawn sharp distinctions between herself and Tsongas, said it hasn't been a negative campaign. She said she wouldn't consider signing the pledge until she had time to read it.

The candidates are battling to succeed Martin Meehan, who stepped down after 14 years to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. The primary is Sept. 4.