Iraq's Maliki hopes Iran will attend Egypt meeting

KUWAIT, Apr 25 (Reuters) Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said today he hoped Iran would attend a meeting of Iraq's neighbours and major powers in Egypt next month.

Egypt will host a high-level meeting of a group of countries that includes Syria, Turkey and the United States in the first week of May mainly to discuss how to stop violence in Iraq.

Iran, which attended a previous neighbours' conference in Baghdad in March, has said it would decide after talks this week with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari whether it would attend the conference in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

''I hope Iran gives up its reservations,'' Maliki told reporters at the end of a two-day visit to Kuwait before leaving for Oman.

''Zebari will visit Iran for the purpose of solving some of these problems which may be the cause (of their reservations) and I am optimistic about their attendance.'' The US State Department has said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will attend the meeting and is open to direct talks with Iran over Iraq.

Washington has not had formal diplomatic relations with Iran since 1980, when it cut ties after the Iranian Islamic revolution and the holding of US hostages. The United States accuses Iran of destabilising Iraq, a charge Iran denies.

The conference in Sharm el Sheikh is a follow-up to a meeting held in Baghdad in March. A ministerial meeting follows the next day involving Iraq and its neighbours, mainly on security, borders, refugees and how to restore peace and stability in the area.

''We hope for support from these two conferences for the political, democratic and electoral processes in Iraq and we hope for support to combat terrorism in Iraq which we believe is not restricted to Iraq's borders,'' Maliki said.

REUTERS ABM RK1830