IRAQ: Michael Jansenreports on the meeting between regional and world powers on security in Iraq
Iran hailed Saturday's conference in Baghdad as a good first step towards stabilising Iraq and expressed a willingness to attend a second round of talks involving Iraq , regional and world powers.
Iran took a positive stance in spite of a barbed exchange between Tehran and Washington.
The Iranian pronouncement, delivered by foreign ministry spokesman Muhammad Ali Hossein, reflected general agreement that all parties should join forces to stabilise Iraq.
The need to end the violence gripping the country was driven home by the explosion shortly before the meeting of two mortar rounds in the vicinity of the venue within the heavily fortified Green Zone.
Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki, the gathering's host, opened the proceedings by calling on all parties to stop intervening in Iraq's internal affairs. "Iraq does not allow itself to intrude on others' affairs, or permit its territory to be used as a launching pad for attacks on others. We expect similar treatment."
He was particularly censorious of attempts to co-opt or exert influence through Iraq's sects, ethnic groupings or political parties.
Following his address, the conference went into closed session, where delegates representing the six countries bordering Iraq, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference exchanged views.
Leaks revealed that US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad made veiled criticisms of Iran and Syria, which have been accused by the Bush administration of fuelling violence by providing arms and aid to Shia militias and insurgents. Iran's deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, responded by saying that the US had been trying to place the blame for Iraq's chaos and anarchy on Iran and Syria in order to "cover Washington's own failures". He also said that Iraq's woes were caused by the presence of foreign forces and called for a timetable for their withdrawal.
Dar Al-Hayat, the London-based Arabic daily, reported that direct talks did take place between the US and Iran and the US and Syria. Syrian spokeswoman Bouthaina Shaaban seemed to confirm this report when she remarked "better late than never" in an interview with Iraq's al-Sharqiyah television.
Iraq's media are optimistic because the meeting took place in the capital. Further discussion of key issues is likely at a regional foreign ministers' conference scheduled for Istanbul in April. US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is expected to attend this event and there are suggestions that members of the Group of Eight industrialised countries should also be invited.
The US and its allies hope that bringing these countries in at this stage in the proposed pacification and reconciliation process might encourage them to contribute to Iraq's reconstruction. However, they are certain to wait until there is a greater degree of law and order.
Since the latest US-Iraqi security surge began in mid-February there has been a reduction in sectarian murders. However, attacks by insurgents on Iraqi civilians and US and Iraqi troops have not diminished.
While no date was fixed for holding a second meeting of the participants in the Baghdad conference, committees were formed to co-ordinate policies on border security, fuel imports and refugees. Since time is short, it is not expected that the participant countries will present serious recommendations to the Istanbul meeting.
An Iraqi observer living and working in Doha was dismissive of the entire exercise: "They go to all this trouble to form three committees. Why three? Why not four, or five? We have more than three problems."