Rice likely to discuss Iran and Iraq with Saudis

RIYADH, Jan 16 (Reuters) US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice holds talks with Saudi leaders today that are widely expected to cover Iraq and the standoff between the West and Iran over Tehran's nuclear programme.

A Saudi official yesterday said Iran had asked Saudi Arabia, a US ally, to help ease tensions between the Islamic Republic and the United States, as Washington held out the possibility of ''engagement'' with Tehran if it changed tack in Iraq.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani delivered a letter from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah ahead of Rice's visit to Riyadh.

The official, who declined to be named, said Iran wanted Saudi leaders to relay a goodwill message to Washington. But the official gave no details.

Tensions have been rising over Iran's role in Iraq and its nuclear programme. There has also been growing criticism in Iran of Ahmadinejad's approach of railing publicly against the West that more moderate politicians say has stoked fears abroad.

US forces are holding five Iranians after raiding an Iranian government office in the Iraqi city of Arbil last week -- the second such operation in Iraq in the past few weeks.

President George W Bush has vowed to stop what he said was the role of Shi'ite Muslim Iran in fomenting violence in Iraq.

Bush is sending about 20,000 more US troops to Iraq to help stamp out an insurgency and sectarian bloodshed between Iraq's Shi'ite majority and its Sunni Arab minority, once dominant under Saddam Hussein.

NEW IRAQ STRATEGY Gulf Arab countries said last month they would go ahead with their own civilian nuclear energy programme, in what some observers have said was a Saudi message to Washington that a nuclear arms race would ensue if Tehran was not checked.

The United States accuses Iran of having a secret nuclear weapons programme. Iran says its nuclear programme is solely for power generation.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said at the weekend he hoped to hear clarification from Rice on Bush's new strategy on Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, fears if US troops leave Iraq prematurely it would allow Iran to gain more influence and put Sunnis at the mercy of Shi'ite militias.

The kingdom wants the United States to help revive stalled Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking.

Rice, on a lengthy West Asian tour, yesterday told reporters in Egypt she would bring Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas together soon for what she called informal talks on how to set up a Palestinian state.

A senior US official said the meeting would be held in three to four weeks, probably in West Asia.

REUTERS PKS BST0509