Kuwait has told US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Washington needs to start a dialogue with Syria and Iran to help end violence in neighbouring Iraq, her Kuwaiti counterpart said today.
"The emir emphasised the importance that there be a dialogue with Iraq's neighbouring states ... mainly with Syria and also with Iran to preserve security in the Gulf," the official Kuwait News Agency quoted Sheikh Mohammad al-Salem al-Sabah as saying.
Mr Bush, in his speech this month unveiling a revised Iraq strategy in which he said he was sending 20,000 more troops to stabilise Iraq, ignored recommendations by a US study group to engage Syria and Tehran.
The United States has repeatedly accused Syria and Sha Iran of meddling in Iraq, where the long-oppressed Shia majority is now in power and sectarian violence is raging. Tehran and Damascus deny US charges.
Ms Rice flew to Berlin today to brief EU president Germany on her efforts to revive the Middle East peace process and on new talks between Washington and North Korea.
She was scheduled to meet with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier later today and Chancellor Angela Merkel tomorrow morning, before travelling on to Britain.
During her five-day trip to the Middle East which took her through to Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, Rice won support from Arab allies for US plans to deploy additional troops to stabilise Iraq.
Sunni Muslim Gulf Arab countries also voiced fears that the new plan could eventually lead to an early departure of US troops, leaving sectarian violence to spill across their borders.
Saudi Arabia said success mainly depended on the Shia-led Iraqi government's ability to stem violence and disband Shia militias blamed for sectarian killings.