IRAN: Iran, accused by Washington of backing militants in Iraq, is reviewing Baghdad's invitation to attend a regional conference on ways of easing tensions in the country, a senior official said yesterday.
The United States has said it will attend both a mid-level meeting in March and a ministerial meeting that may be held in April. Syria, accused by Washington of stoking tension in Iraq by failing to control its border, has also been invited.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said Tehran was considering the offer.
Iranian officials had previously said Tehran was not interested in discussions before US troops pulled out of Iraq.
"In order to help resolve problems in Iraq, Iran will do its utmost. We will attend the meeting if (we reach the conclusion) that it is in Iraq's interests," Mr Larijani was quoted by Iran's state television as saying.
As well as being at loggerheads over Iran's nuclear programme, Washington also accuses Iran of fuelling violence in Iraq. Tehran and Damascus dismiss the charges.
Iran blames the US for destabilising Iraq and for stoking tension between Shia Muslims, who form a majority in Iran and Iraq, and Sunnis.
Iran's most powerful figure, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has ruled out direct talks with the US, which broke ties with Tehran as long ago as 1980.
Ambassadors from Iraq's neighbours as well as the permanent members of the UN Security Council - Britain, China, France, Russia and the US - are expected to attend the conference.
Mr Larijani did not say whether Iranian and US officials would hold bilateral talks over Tehran's nuclear programme on the sidelines of the conference. Direct talks between the US and Iran are rare.
Washington played down on Tuesday the possibility of such talks before Tehran halts uranium enrichment, as demanded by the Security Council, which passed a sanctions resolution on Iran in December for defying the demand. Iran has so far rejected such a precondition, saying it needs atomic technology for power generation.
The council is considering a second resolution on the Islamic state. - (Reuters)