Iran: Iraq conference constructive 'first step'

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Iran said an international conference in Baghdad where it held direct talks with the United States for the first time in years was a constructive "first step" toward restoring stability to the neighboring country. Mohammad Ali Hosseini, spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, also said his country hoped a proposed follow-up meeting on Iraq would be successful. "If such a conference to be held at the foreign minister level happens in the near future in Baghdad, then it is possible to expect success," Hosseini said Sunday. He did not say if the Iranian foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, would attend.