US, Iran to hold rare Iraq talks

US and Iranian officials will hold rare talks in Baghdad today to discuss security in Iraq, where Washington accuses Tehran of stoking violence.

The meeting between US ambassador Ryan Crocker and his counterpart Hassan Kazemi-Qomi marks a reversal by Washington, which broke ties with Iran in 1980 and has largely sought to isolate the Islamic Republic in recent years.

Iran's nuclear programme, which Washington believes to be a bid for developing atomic weapons under cover of generating electricity, will not be discussed.

Iraq, which says it does not want to become a battleground for the two old foes, welcomed today's meeting.

"I think it is a positive development. We should encourage it and build on it. This is just the beginning of the process," Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said. Iraqi officials will also attend the meeting, the location of which has not been disclosed.

The talks come two days after Tehran said it had uncovered Western spy networks on its territory and as a flotilla of US Navy warships holds war games on Iran's doorstep in the Gulf.

Anthony Cordesman, a Middle East expert at Washington's Centre for Strategic and International Studies, cautioned against expecting too much from the talks. "One needs to be very careful about confusing progress with dialogue," he said.

"The US knows what it wants from Iran... but it is far from clear that it can get it. The US wants Iran to stop support for Shi'ite militias and providing arms. At the same time the administration cannot offer much in return," he said.