United States and Iran Start Talks in Iraq

May 28, 2007 (LPAC)--Talks focussed solely on the situation in Iraq, started today in Baghdad, between US ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker and Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi. "I hope that this meeting will result in a common understanding and will be followed by further meetings to resolve the outstanding issues," said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the host of the talks.

"This meeting is so that the United States can present its accusations against Iran, and the Iranian government has some observations on the American presence in Iraq, which it believes is directed against it," said Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh. "There are important points of agreement between the two parties and the Iraqi government that we are seeking to develop," he added, according to AFP and other wire services.

Regarding the perspectives of the talks, Iranian Foreign Minister Mottaki stated, "If the other side has a genuine political will and accepts the reality on the ground and revises its previous policies on Iraq, these discussions could prove successful. The discussions aim to look at questions about Iraq and correcting U.S. policies," he said, according to the Iranian state media. "There is a huge file of differences between Iran and the United States which will not be examined during our discussions in Baghdad."

The talks take place in the context of increasing violence in Iraq. Eight U.S. troops were killed on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, bombs and mortar attacks killed at least 25 civilians in Baghdad, and three policemen were killed in a battle with insurgents in the city which drew in Iraqi soldiers and American helicopters.

The Iranian government officially summoned the Swiss ambassador on May 27 to protest U.S. spy networks it says it recently uncovered in the country, according to Iranian state television. AP reported that Ahmad Sobhani, head of American affairs for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, told Swiss Ambassador Philippe Welti that, "Recently, several espionage networks were identified that were active, under guidance of the U.S. intelligence apparatus, to commit infiltration and sabotage in western, central and southwestern areas of the country."