Compiled by Daily Star staff
Washington on Monday urged the Saudi king to meet with Iraq’s premier at a security conference later this week, while US President George W. Bush said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would be “polite but firm” with her Iranian counterpart if they meet at the gathering in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
The call by Washington came as further deep differences emerged between Iraq and Arab countries ahead of the conference - scheduled for Thursday and Friday - with Egypt proposing a three-month cease-fire between the Iraqi government and insurgents.
The Washington Post reported on Sunday that King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz had refused to receive Premier Nuri al-Maliki before the summit on Iraq’s security because he was skeptical of the Maliki’s government.
“At this point that is a dispute between the two nations,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow on Monday.
“We think it’s important for nations in the region to understand the importance of an Iraqi democracy that can stand up and also can stand as a bulwark against terrorism, which is a threat to all nations of the region whether they be Sunni, Shiite or others,” Snow told reporters.
The apparent snub comes as Saudi Arabia, long a US ally in the Middle East, has been increasingly critical of the US-backed Iraqi government.
Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki were both to attend the conference, and Rice said she did not rule out a meeting.
But Bush dampened any speculation on a breakthrough between the two countries.
He told a news conference that Rice “would be polite but firm in reminding the representative of the Iranian government that there is a better way forward for the Iranian people.” Speaking after a summit with leaders of the European Union, Bush said he hoped Iran would feel the pressure of US efforts to rally world opposition to Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.
“If, in fact, there is a conversation [between Rice and Mottaki], it will be one that says that if the Iranian government wants to have a serious conversation with the US and others, they ought to give up their enrichment program in a verifiable fashion,” Bush said.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack on Monday said it was “positive that they [the Iranians] have chosen to attend the conference.” Asked if Rice would hold bilateral talks with officials from Syria, the spokesman said only that he could not rule out the possibility.
In an interview with Lebanon’s ANB television, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said he was ready to meet his US counterpart at the conference on Iraq.
“The Americans have not made such a request, but if Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wishes, then we can meet,” Moallem said in the interview aired late on Sunday.
The high-level conference will bring together Iraq’s neighbors, including Syria, as well as officials from G8 nations and the European Union in order to draw up a united plan to stabilize Iraq.
Egypt is trying to get a cease-fire call into final resolutions from the conference.
“Egypt calls on all parties to implement a cease-fire for an initial period of three months to allow for a conducive environment to help foster the political process and national accord,” said the Egyptian proposal to the draft final resolutions, obtained by the Associated Press. It did not elaborate on how insurgents could be brought on board a cease-fire.
“This is not a good idea. How can we have a cease-fire with terrorists?” said an Iraqi diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the discussions.
The draft resolutions are still being finalized by senior diplomats from the participating countries, but an Iraqi official said that the Egyptian proposal was a nonstarter.
Syria is pressing for the final statement to also include a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops, a step opposed by Washington and the Iraqi government. - Agencies
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