Iraq urges Iran, US to talk

Iraq’s foreign minister urged Iran and the US to stop trading accusations and sit down for a fourth round of talks to seek solutions to Iraq’s security woes. Hoshiyar Zebari said Iraq-hosted talks between the two bitter foes – one of the few forums in which they have direct diplomatic contact – had stalled. But he hoped they could soon be revived. The Iraqis have repeatedly said they do not want their territory to become the battleground in a proxy war between the US and Iran, who are also at loggerheads over Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. “We believe it is very important to bring both parties to the negotiating table to discuss Iraqi security issues,” Mr Zebari told a news conference. “We can’t currently make this happen with both countries trading accusations against each other.” On Monday, Tehran dismissed any prospect of imminent talks with US officials in Baghdad, accusing American forces of a “massacre” of the Iraqi people, an apparent reference to an offensive against militants loyal to anti-American Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. Washington responded it was “meaningless” to have talks with the Iranians “as long as they don’t change their behaviour”. The US accuses Tehran of arming, financing and training Shi’ite militia groups that launch attacks on US forces in Iraq. Iran denies this and says the presence of American troops is to blame for the country’s violence. Mr Zebari, the driving force behind the previous talks, has expressed frustration at repeated delays in setting a date for a fresh round of discussions.