US and Iran hold Iraq talks
The regime of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wants US forces to leave Iraq
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Monday, 28, May 2007 07:49
The US and Iran held their first bilateral talks for almost three decades today with the two sides coming together to discuss the current security situation in Iraq.
Washington's ambassador to Baghdad Ryan Crocker met with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi Qomi at the home of Iraqi prime minister Nouri Maliki to discuss how to curb the growing violence in his country.
The meeting within the Iraqi capital's heavily fortified Green Zone represented the first time the Washington and Tehran have held direct talks together since they broke off formal diplomatic relations after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.
Despite indications last week that the US is considering pressing for further United Nations (UN) sanctions against Iran for its continued failure to abandon its nuclear programme, today's talks focussed solely on Iraq.
Commentators said beforehand that the US would use the meeting to voice its concern that Iran is helping to escalate sectarian tensions in its neighbouring country by providing funding and training to Shia militias, who have been attacking American and British forces in Iraq along with rival Sunni insurgents.
Meanwhile Iran, which denies backing Shia militants, may have used the talks to press for a timetable for American troops to withdraw from Iraq.
Speaking afterwards Mr Crocker said the latter topic had not been discussed, but he told reporters that the US did express its concern about the supply of terrorists operating in Iraq.
"At the level of principle and policy there was broad agreement," he said.
"In terms of security specifics. the Iranians did not offer any detailed response. They did say they rejected such allegations but there was no detailed exchange.
"We all are pretty much in the same place in terms of declaratory policy. The problem lies... with the Iranians not bringing their behaviour on the ground into line their policy."
Earlier this month US diplomat Mr Crocker warned he did not expect "any stunning, startling breakthroughs" from the meeting.