Maliki says reconciliation key to saving Iraq

Baghdad, Mar 10: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said today national reconciliation was crucial to saving Iraq.

''The reconciliation initiative is the ship that will save us,'' Maliki told delegates to a regional conference in Baghdad, including deputy foreign ministers and other officials from Iran, Syria and the United States.

''Iraq, with its strategic location, must be seen as a key factor and an important player in the regional and international field,'' Maliki told the opening session of the one-day conference aimed at halting sectarian violence four years after the US invasion.

The mid-level meeting was a rare opportunity for officials from Washington and Tehran to meet at a time of growing tension over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Reuters