Iraqi president backs US-Iran talks on Iraq

BAGHDAD, Mar 19 (Reuters) President Jalal Talabani supports a call by a Shi'ite leader for Iran and the United States to hold talks to resolve their differences over Iraq and ways of stabilising it, his office said today.

The Iraqi president said the issue of talks was raised on a visit he made to Tehran a few months ago, a statement from his office said, summarising talks he held yesterday with British Defence Secretary John Reid.

''We received primary approval from Iran when I visited a few months ago,'' the statement quoted Talabani as saying.

''We confirmed at that time the necessity of opening such a dialogue and the Iranian side accepted on two conditions. The first was the talks would be secret and the second was that all disputes between Iran and the United States would be discussed.'' Iraqi Shi'ite leader Abdul Aziz al-Hakim urged Iran last week to hold talks with the United States over Iraq.

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