Friday, March 16, 2007
Second Iraq security meeting in early April
Security, International
(AFP) - A new international conference on Iraq that will see US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sit alongside her Iranian and Syrian counterparts could be held as early as April 1, a senior US official said Thursday. A location for the meeting has not yet been made public, but the United States has said it would prefer to gather in Istanbul.
A first meeting dubbed an Iraq neighbors conference but which also included diplomats from other Arab states and the five permanent UN Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- was held March 10 in Baghdad. Those talks focused on efforts to stabilize the US-backed Baghdad government and end sectarian and insurgent violence that Washington has said it fueled by Iran and Syria.
During the meeting the US ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, held direct talks with senior Iranian officials in the highest level contact between the two states in more than four years. The April meeting is due to include the foreign ministers of the same countries plus Japan and Canada.
A first meeting dubbed an Iraq neighbors conference but which also included diplomats from other Arab states and the five permanent UN Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the US -- was held March 10 in Baghdad. Those talks focused on efforts to stabilize the US-backed Baghdad government and end sectarian and insurgent violence that Washington has said it fueled by Iran and Syria.
During the meeting the US ambassador to Baghdad, Zalmay Khalilzad, held direct talks with senior Iranian officials in the highest level contact between the two states in more than four years. The April meeting is due to include the foreign ministers of the same countries plus Japan and Canada.
Labels: Condoleezza Rice, Iran, security talks, Syria, Turkey
