Former US Secretaries of State favour engagement with Iran, Syria

Washington, Feb 1 (UNI) Two former US Secretaries of State -- Henry Kissinger and Madeleine Albright -- have made out a strong case for talks with Iraq's neighbours, Iran and Syria, both of which have been branded as 'rogue' states by the Bush administration.

They were testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday.

Mr Kissinger, who was secretary of state in the Nixon and Ford administrations, proposed talking to Iran and Syria as part of a regional conference on Iraq.

He said such a conference should include the neighbours, the Security Council, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. ''That would be a rather large and unwieldy body that could then form subgroups to include regional issues. The importance is that only in such a framework can you really deal with the issue of autonomy, because you create a wider legitimacy for what is emerging, and against intervention.'' Ms Albright, who served in the Clinton administration, said the US could talk to governments without endorsing them or overlooking their past actions.

''Talking to governments about hard problems is why diplomacy matters,'' she added.

Both of them agreed on the need for more diplomacy on Iraq. Ms Albright disagreed rather sharply, on President Bush's recent decision to dispatch 21,500 more troops to Iraq.

Majority of the US troops will be sent to Baghdad to help Iraqi forces clear and secure neighbourhoods. Ms Albright said US troops should not be sent on such a mission. Mr Kissinger said the troop surge could help bring stability to the country and help in the establishment of a 'unity government'.

UNI