December 11, 2007	Tuesday	Ziqa'ad 30, 1428

BAGHDAD: US and Iranian officials will hold another round of talks on Iraq’s security next week, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said on Monday, adding that cooperation from Iraq’s neighbours was improving.

Zebari said officials from Iran, Iraq and the United States would meet on Dec 18 to thrash out strategies aimed at quelling the violence in Iraq.

“This will be a technical meeting... not at ambassadors level... but at experts level. There are positive signals from Tehran and Washington,” Zebari told a news conference.

Asked if the meeting would constitute a fourth round of talks between the three parties, he replied: “Yes,” adding this would not be the last round of talks between the two arch-foes over Iraq.

“This is a technical committee made up of security experts, military, diplomats together. This committee is focused on security issues, so everybody agreed to resume talks on that basis,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean that there wouldn’t be in the future further meetings at a different level, by the ambassadors or even higher level.” Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki announced on Nov 20 that Iran had agreed to a new round of talks with the United States on improving security in Iraq, but did not give a date.

The US embassy in Baghdad confirmed that the talks would be held on Dec 18.—AFP