Iran sees meeting as test for US policy in Iraq

Tehran, Mar 10: Iran sees a regional meeting in Baghdad as a ''test'' of whether the United States is serious in trying to solve Iraq's problems, the head of Tehran's delegation was quoted as saying ahead of today's conference.

Abbas Araghchi, deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said before leaving Tehran that the main aim of the meeting was to help improve security and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, the ISNA news agency reported.

Asked about the attendance of both US and Iranian officials, he said: ''From our point of view this meeting is a test for measuring American policies, to figure out if America is really trying to solve the problems even though they keep looking for adventures.'' Washington accuses Iran and Syria of fuelling the Iraq war by supporting either Shi'ite militias or Sunni militants. Iran and Syria deny the charges.

Reuters