U.S. Agrees to New Talks With Iran

U.S. Agrees to New Talks With Iran
Associated Press | November 21, 2007

WASHINGTON - The United States has accepted an Iraqi proposal to hold new talks with Iran about the security situation in Iraq, the State Department said Nov. 20.

The as-yet unscheduled meeting would be the fourth round of talks between Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and his Iranian counterpart. Two previous sessions ended inconclusively with Iran rejecting U.S. allegations that Iran is supporting Shia insurgent groups in Iraq by providing bombmaking material responsible for the deaths of American troops.

Amid a decline in attacks involving such devices, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had responded favorably to a suggestion from the Iraqi government that it was now "the appropriate time" for another meeting at the ambassadorial level in Baghdad.

"We said 'yes,' that we would agree to that," he told reporters, adding that the United States had informed Iran of its acceptance through diplomatic channels that normally involve Swiss intermediaries.

"We have communicated to the Iranian government that we are agreeable to that," McCormack said. "We have not yet received back a reply, either directly or via the Iraqis."

"We are open to using this channel as a way of talking directly about important issues concerning security in Iraq. We don't yet have a date, and as soon as I am aware of a date, I'll try to convey that to you," he said.


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