U.S. asks Iran for talks on Iraq: envoy

April 21, 2008 - 0:0

TEHRAN (IRNA) -- Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi-Qomi said on Saturday that Washington has recently asked Tehran to start new round of talks on Iraq through Swiss embassy in Tehran.

Talking to reporters, he voiced Tehran’s readiness to continue talks in order to help resolve the existing problems facing the Iraqi people.
The Iranian and U.S. officials have so far held three rounds of talks on Iraq situation on May 28, July 24 and August 6, 2007 respectively.
The fourth round of talks between Iranian and U.S. officials on Iraq’s security situation was expected to be held on March 6, but was cancelled at last minutes.
An Iranian delegation arrived in Baghdad on March 5 for the talks but the U.S. side announced it was not well-prepared.
The Iranian envoy said the absence of the U.S. side at the fourth round of talks was ambiguous and surprising.