Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i (file photo) (epa) April 30, 2007 -- Iraq has welcomed news that Iran will take part in a regional security conference later this week.
Iraqi national security adviser Muwaffaq al-Rubay'i also said he hoped the meeting in Egypt would lead to better relations between Iran and the United States.
On April 29, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not rule out the possibility of talking to Iranian officials at the meeting.
The United States has accused Iran of aiding the insurgents in Iraq, but al-Rubay'i said Iraq had no solid evidence to prove this.
Al-Rubay'i is in the southern U.S. city of Tampa, Florida, to attend a meeting of member nations of the U.S.-led coalitions fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled to address the meeting on May 1 at U.S. Central Command headquarters.
(Reuters)
Iranian Shi'a protesting the Golden Mosque Bombing in Iraq on February 24
WHAT IS GOING ON? On March 8, RFE/RL's Washington office hosted a roundtable discussion on relations between Iraq and Iran. Although most analysts agree that Iran has been actively involved in Iraq since the U.S.-led military operation to oust former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, they continue to debate the nature, extent, and intent of that involvement.
The RFE/RL briefing featured WAYNE WHITE, former deputy director of the U.S. State Department Bureau of Intelligence and Research's Office of Analysis for the Near East and South Asia, and A. WILLIAM SAMII, RFE/RL's regional analyst for Iran and editor of the "RFE/RL Iran Report."
LISTEN
Listen to the complete RFE/RL briefing (about 75 minutes):Real Audio Windows Media
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