US to attend Iraq meetings; Iran, Syria invited

WASHINGTON, Feb 28 (Reuters) The United States said it will attend regional conferences on stabilizing Iraq to which Iran and Syria have also been invited, opening the way to a diplomatic dialogue that critics have long demanded.

The Bush administration accuses Iran and Syria of fueling the violence in Iraq and has spurned suggestions -- including in the December report of a high-level Iraq Study Group -- that recommended reach out to both to try to stabilise Iraq.

Washington brands both countries state sponsors of terrorism and has charged that elements of the Iranian have provided sophisticated roadside bombs used in Iraq. The United States accuses Syria of fanning the strife by failing to control its border.

The State Department would not rule out the possibility US officials might hold bilateral talks with Iranians on the sidelines of the planned conferences -- a mid-level meeting in March and a ministerial meeting that may be held in April.

But the White House played down the chances of such talks, stressing its position that Iran first suspend uranium enrichment that the United States believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran denies.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said yesterday the United States fully supported Iraq's plans to hold the meetings, the first of which is expected to gather ambassadors from Iraq's neighbors as well as the permanent members of the UN Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

Rice said the second meeting could take place in the first half of April and would draw ministers from those countries as well as the Group of Eight nations.

''The Iraqi government has invited Syria and Iran to attend both of these regional meetings. We hope these governments seize this opportunity to improve their relations with Iraq -- and to work for peace and stability in the region,'' she said.

'MAJOR TURN' IN US POLICY Critics, including Democratic and Republican members of Congress, have argued in recent months that the United States should deal directly with Iran and Syria to try to quell the violence in Iraq that kills scores of people every week.

''This is a major turn in American policy and, from my point of view, a very positive one that opens up possibilities that have not been open,'' said Daniel Serwer of the US Institute for Peace, which helped produce the Iraq Study Group report.

''The administration is right to reverse itself and engage Iran and Syria on Iraq. Right now, they're a big part of the problem, but they have an interest in becoming part of the solution to prevent chaos in Iraq,'' said Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, a Delaware Democrat.

It was unclear whether the two conferences may provide an opportunity for a resumption of direct talks between the United States and Iran, which have not had diplomatic relations since 1980 but have had contacts at multilateral gatherings.

The Bush administration has also been reluctant in recent years to have high-level contacts with Syria, which it accuses of supporting Hezbollah and interfering in Lebanon's fragile democracy, although the two do have diplomatic relations.

Asked if he could rule out the possibility of bilateral US-Iranian talks on the sidelines of the first meeting, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said: ''We'll see. The focus is on Iraq. The Iraqi government is convening the meeting. We look forward to attending it.'' Reuters SBA VP0735