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Iraq asks for help at Egypt conference

Iraq yesterday made a push for international help to end devastating violence that has killed tens of thousands of people since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Top officials converged on the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for two days of talks on ways to end the fiery anti-US insurgency and communal bloodletting.

Much attention was also focused on the prospect of bilateral talks between the US and Iran on the sidelines, the first in almost three decades.

"The conference is an important forum to harness and mobilize regional and international support for Iraq," Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh said. "We hope this conference marks a transition for Iraq from being a point of regional and international contention and zone of rivalry to one of consensus."

Saleh said Iraq expected more help from neighboring countries and also for the US and Iran to cooperate to help Iraq.

"Failure is not an option in Iraq, we have to succeed," he said. "We would like Iran to be in accord with the US and the international community on the Iraq issue."

Iraqi Finance Minister Bayan Jabr Solagh said that he expected countries including Saudi Arabia and Egypt to write off about US$40 billion to US$50 billion of debt at the meeting.

He predicted Saudi Arabia would write off about 80 percent of the US$20 billion owed by Iraq.

On Wednesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki renewed a plea for international help for his war-torn country.

"The goal of the International Compact with Iraq is not only to reduce Iraq's debt but also to obtain support for the political and democratic process, as well as support in the battle against terrorism," he said.

Iraq's neighbors are due to hold a key meeting focusing on security today but have already started holding preparatory meetings.

Hisham Yusef, a top aide to Arab League chief Amr Mussa, said: "There are neighbors who can influence the situation in Iraq, so there were discussions on those lines."

The consultations have included ways of including Sunni insurgent groups in reconciliation efforts.

Heading to Egypt, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the onus was on Iraq's neighbors to show their commitment to ending violence, warning that their own stability was at stake.

"The most important message that I will be delivering is that a stable, unified and democratic Iraq is an Iraq that will be a pillar of stability in the Middle East and an Iraq that is not stable and not an Iraq for all people will be a source of instability for the region," she said.

Completing a shift in US policy, Rice was expected to talk to Syria and Iran, who have been accused by Washington of funding and abetting Iraq's Sunni insurgency and Shiite militias respectively.

A possible meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki would mark the first high level bilateral talks since the US cut relations in 1980.

However, Iran has yet to give an unequivocal sign it is ready for talks and Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostavafi said on Tuesday that the conditions were not right for a "dialogue" with Rice at the conference.

Rice indicated she would also be ready to discuss issues other than Iraq with the Iranian foreign minister, including the standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program.

"I think I could handle any question as asked," she said.

In readiness for the 27 foreign ministers and 22 other delegations due at the Sharm el-Sheikh talks, Egyptian police have thrown up a tight security cordon around the resort.

US Treasury Deputy Secretary Robert Kimmitt, who traveled with Rice, remained cautious however on the prospects of immediate dividends from the meeting.

"Now not everything is going to be achieved at this meeting in terms of all of the commitments that will need to be made to Iraq over time but I think, as the Iraqis meet more and more of their targets, you'll see more and more commitments to them," he said.

There is an intense battle between US President George W. Bush's administration and the Democrat-dominated Congress over the Iraq war.

On Tuesday, Bush dashed Democrat hopes for a firm timetable for the withdrawal of US troops by vetoing a bill setting a start date for a pullout.
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