WASHINGTON, March 15: Outgoing US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad on Thursday advocated a combination of “pressure and engagement” to persuade countries like Iran and Syria to help quell the violence in Iraq.

Khalilzad's comments suggested the US State Department, at least, is intent on continuing a conversation about Iraq with Iran, which it accuses of training and arming Iraqi militants who have attacked US forces.

There has been sharp debate in the Bush administration over whether to engage Iran, with some officials reluctant to deal given their long history of enmity as well as US accusations that Iran sponsors terrorism and is pursuing nuclear weapons.

The United States cut diplomatic ties in 1980 after Iranian students occupied the American Embassy in Tehran. Fifty-two Americans were ultimately held hostage for 444 days.

The United States has accused Iranian elements of providing sophisticated roadside bombs used against the roughly 140,000 US forces in Iraq. It accuses Syria of allowing militants to enter Iraq and harbouring Baathists who support the insurgency.

At a hearing on his nomination as US ambassador to the United Nations, Khalilzad said “a combination of pressure with regard to issues of concern with an openness to engage with the intent to change behavior ... is the right mix.”

“Those two elements of pressure and engagement don't have to be equal in weight. They can vary depending on the circumstances,” he added. “In the toolbox of diplomacy, we need to have as many tools as we can ... Engagement is one tool.”

GOOD FIRST' STEP: While the United States has diplomatic relations with Syria, it had avoided high-level contact for two years until this week's visit by an assistant secretary of state to Damascus to discuss how to cope with the estimated two million Iraqi refugees that have fled to neighboring countries.