Iran agrees to new talks with US on Iraq

Tehran, Nov 20: Iran's foreign minister today said Tehran would agree to a US request for a new round of talks on security in Iraq, Iranian news agencies reported.

''These negotiations will be held in a near future,'' Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said according to the ISNA news agency.

The official IRNA news agency carried a similar report.

The two old foes, deeply at odds over who is to blame for the violence in Iraq as well as over Tehran's disputed atomic ambitions, held three rounds of discussions earlier this year on how to improve the security situation there.

''Iran is agreeing to this request in the framework of the policy of helping the Iraqi government and nation and (supporting) stability and security in this country,'' state radio quoted Mottaki as saying.

Iraq's government spokesman last week said it was encouraged by signs of a thaw in ties between Iran and the United States over Iraq but that it wanted the two sides to have a ''proper dialogue'' about the issue.

Reuters
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