US urges Iran to join Iraq talks

US urges Iran to join Iraq talks LONDON, April 23 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Iran to join her at a high-level conference on the future of Iraq next week, signalling that Washington is now ready for a serious exchange of views with Tehran after several months of resisting Irans advances in the region.
In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) newspaper Monday, Rice said it would be a "missed opportunity" if Manouchehr Mottaki, Irans foreign minister, did not attend the minister-level meeting to be hosted by Egypt in Sharm el-Sheikh.
Rice denied that the Bush administrations Iran policy had ever been directed at regime change, insisting that the aim was to "have a change in regime behaviour." Washingtons need to secure the right regional environment for its eventual withdrawal from Iraq is growing ever more acute as its "surge" of extra troops is failing to contain the violence, the main business daily in Europe noted.
Last Wednesday alone, nearly 200 people died in bombings, and yesterday 17 Iraqis were killed.
That "hostile forces" would respond to the US security plan was to be expected, Rice said, blaming al Qaeda, not Iran, for the suicide bombings.
She said two more US brigades were still to be deployed, adding the US needed "a little time" to judge the "trend lines." Rices attempts to draw Iran into the conference, which will include Iraqs neighbours as well as the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the G8 industrialised nations, contrasted with her previous resistance to such talks, the FT added.
Since then there had been a "rebalancing," she said, particularly after US President George W Bushs speech on January 10 announcing the extra troops and a more aggressive response to Irans perceived role in arming and training Iraqi Shia militia.
Analysts said it remained to be seen whether the US had achieved what Defence Secretary Robert Gates said last January was the "leverage" it needed before engaging Iran.
Iran has said it will decide on its attendance at the May 3-4 conference after meeting Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqs foreign minister, this week.
Irans foreign ministry spokesman yesterday noted a "softening" in Rices rhetoric, but he added that any "shift" should be put into practice.
Rice is likely to restrict any talks with Iran to the issue of Iraq, but she reiterated that she would be willing to tackle all issues if Iran first suspended its nuclear enrichment programme, the FT concluded. (end) he.rk KUNA 231240 Apr 07NNNN