U.S. And Iran Set Date For Iraq Talks

Ambassador-Level Conference To Happen In Baghdad On July 24

(CBS/AP)  The United States and Iran have set a date for ambassador-level talks in Baghdad on the deteriorating security situation in Iraq, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Sunday.

The two sides will sit down together on Tuesday, according to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and U.S. Embassy spokesman Philip Reeker, amid U.S. allegations that Tehran is supporting violence Shiite militias in the country, but Zebari's comment was the first confirmation of a date.

"I can confirm that the United States and Iran have agreed to meet on July 24th in Baghdad," Zebari told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He said the discussions would be at the ambassadorial leve and would stay focused on the situation in Iraq as opposed to U.S.-Iran tensions. Reeker also confirmed the date but said he had no other information to what has previously been announced.

Since the last meeting — in Baghdad, in late May — the need to show progress is even more urgent, reports CBS News' Dan Raviv. That's one reason for Tuesday's meeting.

It won't be easy. The United States claims Iran's special forces gave the "green light" to smugglers to bring explosives and sophisticated roadside bombs into Iraq.

Iran has complaints against the United States: charging four Iranian-Americans were sent to Teheran, part of a wider plan to overthrow the Islamic Republic, adds Raviv.

Iraq's fragile government has been pressing for another meeting between the two nations with the greatest influence over its future, and Iran has repeatedly signaled its willingness to sit down.

The May 28 meeting marked a break in a 27-year diplomatic freeze and was expected to have been followed within a month by a second encounter. But following that meeting, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other U.S. officials said Iran had not scaled back what the United States alleges is a concerted effort to arm militants and harm U.S. troops.

At the same time, Iran has called for the release of five Iranians detained in Iraq, whom the United States has said are the operations chief and other members of Iran s elite Quds Force, which is accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran says the five are diplomats in Iraq with permission of the government.

As recently as Sunday, U.S. troops detained two suspected weapons smugglers who may linked to Iran's elite Quds force, the military said. The suspects and a number of weapons were seized during a raid on a rural farm compound in eastern Iraq, near the Iranian border, according to the statement.

"The suspects may be associated with a network of terrorists that have been smuggling explosively formed projectiles (EFPs), other weapons, personnel and money from Iran into Iraq," the military said, referring to powerful, armor-piercing roadside bombs that have killed hundreds of American forces.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the U.S. wanted to use the meeting to warn Iran against continuing its support for militants, and he offered no explanation for the apparent change of heart about meeting with Tehran.

Iraq had hoped to arrange a higher-level meeting between Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, but the two exchanged only stiff pleasantries during a recent international conference on Iraq's security in Egypt.

The United States is pursuing a two-track strategy with Iran that reflects the high stakes in any engagement with a nation President Bush accuses of bankrolling terrorism and building a nuclear bomb.

The fitful talks in Baghdad are one element. Then there are the U.S. Navy's exercises in the Persian Gulf this spring and a U.S. push to impose new U.N. sanctions on Iran over its disputed nuclear program.

The United States broke off diplomatic ties with Iran following the 1979 storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and the holding of American hostages for 444 days.

Any direct talks between the two nations are rare, and even fleeting encounters at larger gatherings or diplomatic dinners are scrutinized for clues to the future of a troubled relationship.

Iran denies the U.S. allegations about its activities in neighboring Iraq, which like Iran has a majority Shiite Muslim population.

[feelfree1]

Re: "-It's a great posting tbweb. FF1, I think you have a great deal of challenge here."

I'm up for it 'grazinggoat'.

'tbweb' takes almost every opportuinity to advocate for the illegal war of aggression against Iran, and seems to have little concern for Iranians, as long as the paranoid fears of Israeli extremists are appeased. 'tbweb' is disgusting, and I see no need to explain myself to it.

I have never stated that it is O.K. to "kill Americans" as 'tbweb' claims. I have stated that the Iraqis have every right to defend themselves against the brutal and illegal invasion of their country. Our dead and maimed soldiers are just more victims of our illegitmate Decider, in my opinion.

We have the death penalty in this country, which is used to put Americans to death, and is a policiy which still seems to be supported by the majority of Americans. Claiming that this is proof that most Americans think that it is OK to kill Americans, makes about as much sense, and has about as much validity, as the erronious and hyperbolic claim of the 'tbweb/didntinhale' dope, in my opinion.

[Syndicate]

grazinggoat you are the pot calling the kettle balck.

Some of those links are useful and are very much apreciated. Especially the one on Al Queda wiping an entire vilage of the Map.THey killed all the Men, Women, children and the animals too. Don't beleive it? Thats Okay the reporter took lots of pictures.

[grazinggoat]

arse008, you're an iddiott living in the past. Move forward, donkey, move forward, stop spewing those idddiotic copy/pasted links... we're tired of unintelligent posting. Give us what you think, not what others think for you. Show us you have guts and talk you own thinking if at all. Iddiott!

[lars008-2009]

Posted by Prinzowhales at 02:36 PM : Jul 23, 2007

IT IS TIME TO DEFEAT FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAM ONCE AND FOR ALL%u2026

In 1786, Thomas Jefferson, then U.S. ambassador to France, and John Adams, then American Ambassador to Britain, met in London with Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja, the Dey%u2019s ambassador to Britain, in an attempt to negotiate a peace treaty based on Congress%u2019 vote of funding. To Congress, these two future presidents later reported the reasons for the Muslims%u2019 hostility towards America, a nation with which they had no previous contacts.

%u2026that it was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Koran, that all nations who should not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Musselman (Muslim) who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.

Sound familiar?

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison defeated the fascist nazi muslims 200 years ago
And again 100 years ago with Theodore Roosevelt
Tunisia in 1881 by France and Libya in 1911 by Italy. By then most of the Islamic world was under Christian domination. With the Ottoman Empire defeated in WW1, secularist Turkish rebels in 1923 overthrew the last Islamic Caliphate,
http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?6bdec278-6a71-4436-bc4d-29d1c54b0ad7

[grazinggoat]

Anyone like FreeFree1 who thinks its OK to kill Americans because of any reason will never be able to reconcile anything with me.
Posted by tbweb at 04:52 AM : Jul 23, 2007

-It's a great posting tbweb. FF1, I think you have a great deal of challenge here.

-tbweb I agree with you. No life is worth being wasted in any cause and all Humans are born to be free and master of their OWN destiny, you just cannot impose on it a way of termination. Hence should be considered a crime against humanity (as it is said in Torah and Koran) (by what can be translated as He who kills a soul is like he's killed all mankind... or so...) Parting from that principal should be considered as a criminal act to be faced with International collective punishment if needed. This principal has been improved and better defined in United Nations' Geneva rules in times of war... all nations should and have ratified the said principles. Accepting those laws implicitely implies respect of ALL Human Beings. Americans as well as Iraqis, Christians as well as Muslims, Jews, believers and unbelievers... the latests' souls do not belong to anyone, but to their Creator, hence their respect and protection. Differences in views should be debated in courts not with missiles and laser-guided bombs.

[prinzowhales]

We've had two world wars in the last 100 years, neither can be attributed to Moslems....tens of millions died. Between the wars more people died--tens of millions more--thanks to the spread of a secular religion--Communism--born in the West. Yet here we sit listening to people get up a scare over Islam.

If Islam is as bad as you maintain, I would certainly have nothing to do with it...I wouldn't buy their oil, station troops in their lands, allow their people to immigrate to my country or sell them weapons. Obviously, Islam is not the issue. What is the issue is the oil that is under those Islamic lands. What is the issue is that the Washington Regime and its allies wish to stir up hatred so as to justify occupation and repression. Behind the 'clash' of 'civilizations' is the oil that they have and we want.

[lars008-2009]

it is fascist nazi terrorislam stupid%u2026.

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of the fascist nazi terrorslam imperialist empire of the darkside...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770
Bless the Beasts and Children
Fascist nazi terrorslam kills every man woman and child in the village again%u2026 typical mo for terrorslam%u2026
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/bless-the-beasts-and-children.htm
thank you demonic-rats%u2026
New Video From Al Qaeda Number Two
"You must be patient and steadfast," he says. "Rejoice, for victory is near, with Allah's permission, and the herds of crusaders have begun to split up and their sole concern has become searching for a way out."
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/07/new-video-from-.html
Sentencing them, Judge Charles Openshaw said the men had engaged in "cyber jihad", encouraging others to kill "kuffars" or non-believers.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070705142313.zr9n5g5g&show_article=1
45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/07/05/nterror405.xml

[tbweb]

down-ndirty,

My mistake.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 01:02 AM : Jul 23, 2007
_______________________

No problem... My initial post was too terse to be understood.

Posted by down-ndirty at 01:24 AM : Jul 23, 2007,,,

I never liked FeelFree1 from my first encounter with it. FeelFree1 is the type of Poster who when it doesn't agree with you starts slanderous personal attacks. Since FeelFree1 can't win the argument or debate using its brain on the merits, FeelFree1 sinks to the gutter and starts trying to destroy opposing views with relentless personal attacks. Once I tried to reconcile our differences and limit the disagreements to the topic being discussed minus the personal attacks and all that got me was more personal attacks. At its core FeelFree1 is a left wing extremist with views that are at times borderline criminal against the U.S. It's looks like FeelFree1 is currently trolling the CBS Blogs telling everyone how nice their Post are, kissing major a s s trying to make friends, whether the Post are really that good or not! What a transparent loser! Anyone like FreeFree1 who thinks its OK to kill Americans because of any reason will never be able to reconcile anything with me.

[nyteryder2]

After the Shah fell, ( thanks to Dimwit Carter ) over 5000 paid the price of his stupidity...
Posted by hamiltongrad at 12:47 AM : Jul 23, 2007
- - - - -

After Saddam fell, (thanks to Coward Bush), over 3000 young American soldiers paid the price of his stupidity. Thousands and thousands of Iraqis died, some tortured by radicals, some died in battle either as combatants or as innocent by-standers.

And this all happened AFTER Bush declared victory.

[jetranger7]

This will probaly amount to nothing more than a "Poker Party" using Tax Payers money to do the Gambling with, as Usual !! 5-Card Stud anybody ??

[dirtydog55]

Well, I enjoyed these ten pages of dialog, even hamiltongrad's snide comment, but I have to work early in the AM. A little different for me since I usually work at home, but I actually have to GO IN to work this week. Bummer... I'm way too old to still be working.

g'nite...

[randalds]

RandlRS:

Blame the Muslims for all the worlds troubles. But you forget that evil is done when good people remain silent or all themselves to be duped.

you want to, and you believe the lies you want to, all to justify your prejudices. Pretty Sick.

Posted by mh4cbs1 at 01:25 AM : Jul 23, 2007

You obviously have me confused with someone else, because I haven't even the slightest idea what in the hell you're talking about here? I blamed the Muslims for everything? When? Where? How? Are you sure you were reading one of MY posts?

[dirtydog55]

Didn't Wolfowitz's girlfriend go to work for Cheney's daughter at the State Department after she left the World Bank? And she wasn't even a U.S. citizen.

[randalds]

Carter didn't overthrow the Shah; he fell as a result of his own inhumane dictatorship.

What was your major there at Hamilton College? Obviously not history.

Posted by down-ndirty at 01:21 AM : Jul 23, 2007

Amen and the number one single (and certainly valid) reason that we are so hated in Iran by the radicals (though most of the younger people love us) is that we overthrew their popularly elected leader Mohammed Mossadegh and replaced him the Shah, who immediately created the SAVAK (National Organization for Information and Security, which was organized with the help of the CIA and Mossad.). They enforced the Shah's will and tortured and murdered tens of thousands of people he deemed to be his political enemies.

[down-ndirty]

-Are those people at the state department idiots or what?

Posted by grazinggoat at 12:45 AM : Jul 23, 2007

What else could they be? They are Bush/Cheney relatives & cronies.

[mh4cbs1]

RandlRS:

Blame the Muslims for all the worlds troubles. But you forget that evil is done when good people remain silent or all themselves to be duped.

Nazi Germany was a Christian nation. How many millions did they kill? Hitler rose to power on his lies, bought into by ordinary people carried away as HItler inspired their patriotism, nationalism, fear of enemies, and their quest for revenge. Sound familiar?

Terrorism was used in Catholic and Protestant Ireland. How short a memory you have.

Civil War was brutal in our very own Christian nation as half the nation tried to protect their slave property (pretty sick huh!).

We slaughtered a couple million in Vietnam with massive carpet bombing, napalm, poisonous herbicides, 500,000 ground troops. The bloodbath ended as soon as we left.

You look at only the facts you want to, and you believe the lies you want to, all to justify your prejudices. Pretty Sick.

[down-ndirty]

down-ndirty,

My mistake.
Posted by FeelFree1 at 01:02 AM : Jul 23, 2007
_______________________

No problem... My initial post was too terse to be understood.

[down-ndirty]

After the Shah fell, ( thanks to Dimwit Carter )
Posted by hamiltongrad at 12:47 AM : Jul 23, 2007
______________________________________

Yeah, it's easy to stop research when you find the answer you want.

Carter didn't overthrow the Shah; he fell as a result of his own inhumane dictatorship.

Did you also oppose the toppling of Saddam?

Oh, I get it. LOL!!!! Silly me. The Shah was our friend. But then Saddam was, too, at one time.

LOL!!! You're a confused hypocrit and not worth my time.

What was your major there at Hamilton College? Obviously not history.

[down-ndirty]

Down and dirty: Name calling is the trademark of the Liberal Leftist. Snide remarks. In contrast, Lars gives us facts.
thanks to Dimwit Carter
Pollyannnaass
Whhooses
Posted by hamiltongrad at 12:47 AM : Jul 23, 2007
___________________________

You got it wrong liberal arts college grad. LOL!!! Liberal Leftist? That's not name-calling?

I'm not a liberal and I'm definitely not leftist. And what kind of hypocrit are you? It's ok for you to name-call?

Oh, I get it. It's ok because you went to a "highly selective, top-ranked, private liberal arts college in upscale Clinton, NJ" and you're "better" than anyone else here.

Liberal arts!!!! ROFLMMFAO!!!!

I guess you didn't study much history at Hamilton. LOL!!! All those things you said happened in Iran happened ten-fold in Iraq. Are you "soft" on Iran? Or do you just like dictatorships?

Lars is a troll who posts the same crapp over and over. He seldom has anything original of his own, just posts links. Not even links, just URLs. I wonder how many people bother to look them up.

[feelfree1]

Hi 'grazinggoat',

Re: "Are those people at the state department idiots or what?"

Yup.