UK's Blair to urge Syria, Iran to help on Iraq

LONDON, Nov 13 (Reuters) British Prime Minister Tony Blair will call today for Iran and Syria to join efforts to stem violence in Iraq as Washington and London review their strategy in response to growing opposition to their involvement there.

Blair will argue the need for a broad Middle East strategy that makes clear to Damascus and Tehran that they can help in the region if they renounce terrorism and in the case of Iran, its nuclear ambitions, Blair's spokesman said.

His message, to be delivered in a foreign policy speech on Monday evening, is not new but its timing is crucial, he added.

US President George W. Bush in the past has spurned engaging Iran and Syria and, only on Saturday, the White House branded Iran as part of a ''global nexus of terrorism''.

But US officials now say they are open to all new ideas on Iraq following the Republican Party's rout in last week's mid-term elections.

Iran said today it was ready to consider any official US request to hold talks. ''If they (the United States) really want to hold talks with Iran, they should officially propose it and then Iran will review it,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told Reuters.

However, diplomats said it would be difficult for the United States and Britain to seek Iranian help over Iraq at the same time as they are pushing for United Nations' sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme.

''It's necessary to bring Syria back to the negotiating table and recognise it as a factor that is important in the region. As for Iran: I hope Blair will explain in his speech how to circumvent the sanctions trap,'' one Western diplomat said.

BROAD STRATEGY Blair will say the conflict in Iraq has evolved and policy must address that. A broad strategy for the region must include bringing peace to the Palestinians and Lebanon, he will add.

''We have been calling on Iran and Syria to engage with the Iraqi government and accept responsibility for peace and development and we will continue to do so,'' British Defence Secretary Des Browne told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard, a staunch U.S. ally, said on Monday he was in favour of talking to countries like Syria and Iran about ending violence in Iraq.

Any US and British overtures to Iran would risk getting mixed up with their dispute over Tehran's nuclear programme, which the West suspects is designed to produce atomic weapons but Tehran insists is for electricity generation.

A British government source said the Iraq and nuclear issues were separate. ''We are trying to impress on Iran that a stable Iraq is to (its) benefit. The nuclear issue is ongoing and that's got to be addressed separately. You can't simply stop discussion of any other topics,'' the source said.

The Democrats, who now control Congress, are pledging a push to begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq in the next few months.

Blair, Bush's closest ally, also faces demands to set a timetable for withdrawal of British troops.

Voters in both countries are increasingly concerned at the relentless violence in Iraq and the growing death toll among their nations' troops.

Blair, whose popularity has been undermined by his support for the invasion, will address a US bipartisan panel exploring alternative strategies on Iraq by video link tomorrow.

Engaging with Syria and Iran on Iraq is an idea favoured by some members of the panel, co-chaired by former US secretary of state James Baker.

REUTERS PDM VC1859