UN's Annan suggests international meeting on Iraq

UNITED NATIONS, Nov 29 (Reuters) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan proposed an international conference among Iraqi political parties and said again that Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran, needed to be engaged.

Annan had a telephone conference with the 10-member, US bipartisan Iraq Study Group on Monday, searching for a new policy in Iraq, and told reporters afterwards that Iraq was close to a civil war unless the situation could be reversed.

''The security in Iraq today is a major constraint,'' Annan said in answer to reporters' questions yesterday. ''If one were to work out an arrangement where one can get the Iraqi political parties together, somewhere outside Iraq as we did in Afghanistan, the United Nations can play the role it normally plays.'' In December 2001, the United Nations organised a conference in Bonn, Germany, that established a political process for Afghanistan after US and allied Afghan forces removed from office the Taliban rulers for harboring Osama bin Laden.

But Annan said, ''I think we need to work slowly to get there.

And of course the Iraqi leaders will have to understand that they need to come together to make compromises to resolve their differences.'' At the same time he said the Iraqis could not do it alone in light of the ''the bitterness and the level of violence'' so ''the international community has to help them do it.'' Annan said he had not dealt with Syria and Iran on Iraq but only on Lebanon in the past months.

But he said that both countries should be part of the solution.

''And we should bring them in and get them to work with us in resolving the issue, and let them assume some of the responsibility.

So I stand by that recommendation.'' The Iraq Study Group, led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former congressman Lee Hamilton, an Indiana Democrat, wants to complete its report before Congress adjourns next month. It is considering talks with Syria and Iran as well as a gradual troop withdrawal.

Asked if the United Nations could fill a security vacuum in case of a US withdrawal, Annan said such details were not discussed.

''We can play a role, but of course the security is a major constraint,'' he said.

The United Nations has kept a relatively small staff in Iraq since the bombing of its Baghdad headquarters in 2003, which killed 22 people, many of them top officials.

But it has helped organised elections, the drawing up of a constitution and engaged in reconciliation talks. More recently the world body has released monthly deaths of Iraqis, gathered from ministries and morgues.

REUTERS SBA BST0725