in Brussels?
Posted on 11/20/2006 2:01:37 PM PST by MadIvan
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani will travel to Iran this weekend for talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, but his spokesman denied reports that a three-way summit including Syria’s Bashar al-Assad was planned.
British government sources and news agencies had said yesterday that Iran was keen to host three-way talks, but Iraqi sources said there were no plans for such a meeting.
“President Jalal Talabani has plans to go to Tehran this weekend to meet with President Ahmedinijad. There is no talk of a trilateral summit,” said presidential spokesman Hiwa Osman.
“President Talabani looks forward to meeting President al-Assad in Baghdad or Damascus in the near future,” he said. US officials are reportedly planning an initiative to bring Syria and Iran into a broader regional effort aimed at curbing the violence in Iraq.
US and Iraqi officials have blamed Damascus and Tehran for fomenting disorder in Iraq. Iran has extensive influence with Shia parties in Iraq, reportedly subsidising groups such as the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq as well as breakaway factions of the Mahdi Army loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
Tehran is also accused of supplying some of its clients with sophisticated weaponry and military expertise.
According to some analysts, Iran is trying to ensure that it has the capacity to cause severe problems for US forces in Iraq as a possible deterrent to US-led military efforts against its own territory.
International and domestic pressure is mounting on the Bush administration to open its own dialogue with Syria and Iran to find a common approach to restoring stability in Iraq.
Tom Casey, a spokesman for the US State Department, said there were no plans at present for direct contacts in Baghdad between the US and Iranian ambassadors.
Washington analysts say that while the US position in Iraq is weakening, Iran is asserting its influence. A trilateral summit, should it happen, could strengthen Iran’s hand in shaping the agenda for eventual talks with the Bush administration.
Iraqi leaders frequently visit Tehran, but most of these are heads of specifically Shia religious parties with a tight bilateral relationship to Iran, and a wider summit specifically intended to discuss the promotion of stability in Iraq would be a diplomatic breakthrough.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
BBC report here also:
Iran to host Iraq security talks ~ Iraq's President Jalal Talabani has accepted an invitation...
This seems the most complete and should be in the sidebar....breaking news....
in Brussels?
Mr Talabani will meet President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran on Saturday.
Unconfirmed reports say Syria's President Bashar al-Assad may attend.
Sounds like the dems threat of leaving have sunk in and the PM may be trying to make a deal
Bad move IMO
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