U.S. Official, Iranian Diplomat Discuss Stabilizing Iraq

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 4 -- The U.S. ambassador to Iraq and a senior Iranian diplomat spoke briefly this morning about ways of stabilizing Iraq -- a rare interaction between two long-estranged nations, each of which blames the other for Baghdad's unremitting unrest.

The session, which U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker downplayed as a short discussion, came at the close of a three-day conference on Iraq's future at which Iran continued to demand a withdrawal of American troops and U.S. officials said Iran, Syria and other Iraqi neighbors must avoid fomenting discord. In addition, a meeting between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Iranian foreign minister, which U.S. officials had earlier hinted might occur, did not happen. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was seated near Rice at a dinner, but he left early, according to wire reports.

Conference participants also included conservative Arab nations such as Saudi Arabia who hold deep suspicions about the Iraqi government's commitment to reform and its close ties with Iran; the Group of Eight industrialized nations and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

Participants issued a final communique that condemned "all acts of terrorism in all its forms" in Iraq; stressed the obligation of all states "to combat terrorist activities" and prevent the movement of insurgents and supplies into Iraq from elsewhere; and urged Iraq's embattled government to move quickly toward political reconciliation, constitutional reform and dismantling sectarian militias.

"The central point is the security and stability of Iraq and the responsibility of other governments to support its efforts," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said at a news conference at the end of the conference. "The failure of Iraq is not in the interest of any party, and will impact all countries."

Zebari said conference participants share a commitment to a "unified, federal, independent Iraq" and would not support partitioning the country into three nations -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish. "Nobody is for division," he said.

He praised the interaction between Crocker and Iran's deputy foreign minister, calling it "the beginning" of a process of dialogue that Iraq has long been urging. But Crocker stressed that the conversation was not scheduled in advance and lasted only a few minutes. On Thursday, the United States held the first minister-level talks with Syria in two years, with Rice meeting with Syria's deputy foreign minister. Rice had left open the possibility of meeting with Mottaki from Iran as well.

The Bush administration considers Iran and Syria countries rogue nations responsible for fueling the civil strife and anti-U.S. violence in Iraq. But the bipartisan Baker-Hamilton commission has called on the White House to engage in diplomacy with both countries, saying such dialogue was critical to stabilizing Iraq and the region. With the emergence of a Democratic majority in Congress and the heating up of the 2008 presidential campaign, the demands for dialogue have grown louder.

U.S. officials stress that conversations will be limited to the situation in Iraq.

"The key point is Iraq. It is how all this comes together to support Iraq," Crocker told CNN. "What we have to do is see that what was said in that conference is translated on the ground."

At a luncheon on Thursday, Rice and Mottaki sat at the same table and exchanged pleasantries -- "and it wasn't a very big table," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

Asked at the final news conference why she hadn't pursued an actual meeting with Mottaki more vigorously, Rice deflected the question. "You can ask him why he didn't make an effort. I'm not given to chasing anyone," she said, chuckling and eliciting laughter from those around her.