Last update - 00:00 17/05/2007
Tehran: Iranian, American officials to hold talks on Iraqi security
By Reuters
Iranian and U.S. officials will meet in Iraq on May 28 to discuss security in Iraq, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Thursday.
"Negotiation is limited to Iraq, in Iraq, and will start in the presence of Iraqi officials," Mottaki told a news conference in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
The talks, being held at the request of Iraqi leaders, would be at the level of ambassador, he said.
The United States said this week talks would soon be held with Iran on how it could take a "productive role" in Iraq's security.
The United States has accused Iran of backing Shi'ite militia in Iraq and seeking an atomic bomb. Iran denies both accusations.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari has welcomed the talks, saying both the United States and Iran were major players in his country.
U.S. officials have often said they would meet with Iranian counterparts but that talks would have to be limited to Iraq. With violence escalating in Iraq, and President George W. Bush under increasing domestic pressure to wrap up the four-year-old war, many experts say Tehran could play a major role in stabilising Iraq.