BAGHDAD, July 24, 2007

Iran, U.S. To Form Iraq "Subcommittee"

Agreement Comes Out Of High-Level Security Talks In Baghdad, After Tense Start

  • Play CBS Video Video Security In Iraq

    President Bush says terrorism is linked directly to Iraq. Ret. Army Col. and Up to the Minute Military Analyst Mitch Mitchell discusses the war and the President's comments.

    • Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, is seen taking part in a meeting with senior Iranian diplomats in Baghdad, Iraq in this July 24, 2007 image taken from Iraqi state television.

      Ryan Crocker, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, is seen taking part in a meeting with senior Iranian diplomats in Baghdad, Iraq in this July 24, 2007 image taken from Iraqi state television.  (CBS/Al-Iraqiya TV)

    • This image from video shows Iraqis milling around the wreckage of a vehicle at the scene of a suicide truck bombing in Hillah, Iraq, on July 24, 2007.

      This image from video shows Iraqis milling around the wreckage of a vehicle at the scene of a suicide truck bombing in Hillah, Iraq, on July 24, 2007.  (CBS/APTV)

    • An Iraqi soldier and a U.S. soldier stand at the site of a car bomb attack in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad, July 23, 2007.

      An Iraqi soldier and a U.S. soldier stand at the site of a car bomb attack in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad, July 23, 2007.  (AP)

    • A U.S. soldier investigates the site of a car bomb attack in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 23, 2007.

      A U.S. soldier investigates the site of a car bomb attack in the Karradah neighborhood in central Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, July 23, 2007.  (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

    • Mourners carry the body of Sheik Abdullah Falak, an aide to Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, from the Imam Ali shrine to his burial in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 21, 2007.

      Mourners carry the body of Sheik Abdullah Falak, an aide to Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, from the Imam Ali shrine to his burial in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south of Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, July 21, 2007.  (AP)

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(CBS/AP)  The United States, Iran and Iraq have agreed to set up a security subcommittee to carry forward talks on restoring stability in Iraq, the American envoy said Tuesday at the end of a second round of groundbreaking talks in the Iraqi capital with his Iranian counterpart.

"We discussed ways forward, and one of the issues we discussed was the formation of a security subcommittee that would address at a expert or technical level some issues relating to security, be that support for violent militias, al Qaeda or border security," Ambassador Ryan Crocker said after the meeting that included lunch and spanned nearly seven hours.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said experts would meet as early as Wednesday to work out the structure and mechanism of the committee.

"We hope that the next round of talks will be on a higher level if progress is made," he said at a separate news conference after the talks.

But underscoring the rising tensions between the two arch-foes, Crocker reiterated accusations that Iran is fueling the violence in Iraq by arming and training Shiite militias. He warned no progress could be made unless Iranian actions change on the ground.

"The fact is, as we made very clear in today's talks, that over the roughly two months since our last meeting we've actually seen militia-related activity that could be attributed to Iranian support go up and not down," Crocker said, citing testimony from detainees and weapons and ammunition confiscated in Iraq as evidence.

"We made it clear to the Iranians that we know what they're doing (and) it's up to them to decide what they want to do about it," he said.

For his part, Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi countered that Tehran was helping Iraq deal with the security situation but Iraqis were "victimized by terror and the presence of foreign forces" on their territory.

He said his delegation also demanded the release of five Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq. The United States has said the five were linked to Iran's elite Quds Force, which it has accused of arming and training Iraqi militants. Iran says the five are diplomats who were legally in Iraq.

"There are also Iranian citizens who have been detained on legally entering Iraq. We demanded their release too. We discussed the creation of a mechanism to implement what we achieved in the first round of talks. They (the Americans) acknowledged making mistakes and this is a step forward in itself and it's now up to the Americans to rectify their mistakes," Qomi said.

(CBS/Al-Iraqiya TV)
The meeting was opened by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who issued an impassioned appeal for help from the two nations to stabilize Iraq and warned that militants from al Qaeda and other terror groups in Iraq were now fleeing and finding refuge elsewhere.

"We are hoping that you support stability in Iraq, an Iraq that doesn't interfere in the affairs of others nor want anyone to meddle in its own affairs," he said, according to excerpts of al-Maliki's remarks released by his office.

"It's Iraq's right to call on everyone to stand beside it to counter the scourge of terror and extremism," he said. "The world ... must stand together and face this dangerous phenomenon and its evils, which have gone beyond the borders of Iraq after terror and al Qaeda groups received strong blows and are now running away from the fight and moving to other nations."

An Iraqi official who was present at the meeting room said Crocker and Qomi were involved in a heated exchange early in the talks.

It began when Crocker confronted the Iranians with charges that Tehran was supporting Shiite militiamen killing U.S. troops, providing them with weapons and training. Qomi dismissed the allegations, saying the Americans had no proof, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to disclose the information.

"It is not surprising that the talks got off to a rocky start, because few U.S. diplomats involved in the talks expect Tehran to stem the flow of money and arms into Iraq," said CBS News Foreign Affairs Analyst Pamela Falk.

"But the point of the talks is broader, and that is to open channels of communication to see if, at some point, the Iranians might see it in their interest to find a diplomatic solution to the sectarian violence as well as agree to a compromise on their nuclear program — one of the other important issues that is not on the agenda at this week's talks."

In other developments:

  • The truck bomber struck in Hillah, according to police, who said the driver detonated his payload in the middle of the Bab al-Mashhad district. Iraqi troops cordoned off the area while fire engines and ambulances rushed to the scene. Eassam Rashid, 32, was selling vegetables at his stall when the blast sent shrapnel over his head. Most of the 24 killed and 69 wounded in the blast suffered serious burns, said Ayad Abdul-Zahra of the Hillah general hospital. Hillah, about 60 miles south of Baghdad, has been the site of some of the deadliest bombings, including a double suicide attack on March 6 that killed 120 people.

  • A revised U.S. military plan envisions establishing security at the local level in Baghdad and elsewhere by the summer of 2008, although it likely would take another year to get Iraqi forces ready to enforce any newfound stability, U.S. officials said Tuesday. Known as the Joint Campaign Plan, developed in tandem by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and his political counterpart in Baghdad, Ambassador Crocker, it reflects a timetable starkly at odds with the push by many American legislators to wind down U.S. involvement in a matter of months. But Up to the Minute Military Analyst and Retired Army Col. Mitch Mitchell warns that "We are fighting ourselves," in Iraq.

  • The leader of Iraq's largest Shiite party returned to Baghdad Tuesday from Iran after completing the second phase of his treatment for lung cancer, a statement said. Last month, Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the 57-year-old leader of the Supreme Islamic Council of Iraq left for Iran to resume his chemotherapy treatment, which he began in the neighboring country in May. The statement did not provide information about al-Hakim's condition. Al-Hakim is a key player in Iraqi politics despite close ties to Iran

  • A joint U.S.-Iraqi force conducted an operation in northeastern Baqouba that led to the detention of 16 suspected militants, including five teenagers, according to the Iraqi military.

    Continued



    © MMVII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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    by tbweb July 26, 2007 10:05 AM EDT
    tuckerndfw wrote:

    Your comment was not a rebuttal to my original assertion.

    JFK's response to the "Cuban missile crisis" is directly comparable to Iran's response to the US's hostile invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. BTW, according to reports, Iranians were helpful with the US effort in Afghanistan.

    Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:52 PM : Jul 24, 2007,,,

    I still say there in no comparison, JFK's motive was to protect the United States and keep the warning time for missiles fired from Russia to 30 minutes, with Russian missiles based in Cuba the warning time the U.S. to react was reduced to 5 minutes! Iran's motive is to build a Shiite super state with a Shia cresent spanning across the Middle East. Iran doesn't want democracy in Iraq, Iran wants an Islamic state in Iraq! The U.S. motives were about security, Iran's motives are about religious fanaticism so there is no comparison.
    Reply to this comment
    by tbweb July 26, 2007 9:50 AM EDT
    tuckerndfw wrote:

    When it comes to hating non-Islamist they all bury their differences and the sect differences only matter when they go against each other!

    Posted by tbweb at 03:51 PM : Jul 24, 2007

    You are incorrect.

    Muslims are no different than anyone else, they do not "think differently." Immediately following 9/11/01, the overwhelming majority of Americans put aside their differences and supported the "war on terror."

    Posted by tuckerndfw at 10:52 PM : Jul 24, 2007,,,

    Why be redundant, ban_islam answered for me!

    ban_islam wrote:

    tbweb is correct, muslims will always put aside their differences and unite because they hate us more. There's 8 different sects in Islam, which have varying interpretations of their religion (from mild to extreme like hotsauce). One thing that unites them all is their shared hatred for non-muslims and intent to wage endless war against 'infidels' to Islamify the world. We'll often hear in the media of 'moderates' who are our friends (like Saudis lol), but that's pure ignorance.

    One disclaimer-there are a small minority of muslims that are genuinely good, in that they have do not follow fundamentalist Islam, respect the values of the West and can be our allies. They are also seen as infidels by other muslims and we should unite with them to bring freedom/democracy to their lands and end the centuries of enslavement to a demented and brutal ideology.

    Posted by ban_islam at 01:28 AM : Jul 25, 2007
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 July 25, 2007 3:56 PM EDT
    demonic-rats won't fight the fascist nazi terrorislamic war...

    Incredible! George S Patton's New Speech-Iraq & modern world
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUX6wV1lBQ
    Reply to this comment
    by ban_islam July 25, 2007 1:14 PM EDT
    I'll add just for tucker:

    ISLAM IS TERRORISM

    ISLAM IS FASCISM

    ISLAM IS A DEATH CULT

    ISLAM NEEDS TO BE ELIMINATED
    Reply to this comment
    by ban_islam July 25, 2007 1:05 PM EDT
    Source: http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/antise
    mitism/holocaust/gedalyaliebermann.cfm Zionism is terrorism. Posted by tuckerndfw
    -----

    Unlike your fake propaganda full of anti-semetic lies and bullshiit, the link between Islam and Nazism is well-known and established, who both had a common cause of wiping out Jews.

    Which sounds more plausible? Jews assisting Nazis to destroy their only homeland, or muslims joining with nazis for that goal?

    You aren't fooling anyone here muslim.

    Here's what really happened; Grand Mufti meets with Hitler on their mutual Jewish problem (this is well documented historical fact).

    http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/muftihit.html

    Zionism is the belief that Jews deserve a homeland, so its no wonder muslims don't say they're anti-jewish/semetic, since they'll be called out for being racist bigots.

    So they hide their hate for Israel/jews by being 'anti-zionists', which amounts to the same thing, you couch your hate-mongering in a seemingly innocuous cause.

    Let's also not forget that Islam is this century's Nazism and we all know what happened to those anti-semetic, fascist thugs. The same fate awaits muslims if they continue their assault against all non-muslims.
    Reply to this comment
    by tuckerndfw July 25, 2007 7:17 AM EDT
    "Zionism was supported by the German SS and Gestapo.[3] [4] [5] [6] Hitler himself personally supported Zionism.[7] [8] During the 1930%u2019s, in cooperation with the German authorities, Zionist groups organized a network of some 40 camps throughout Germany where prospective settlers were trained for their new lives in Palestine. As late as 1942 Zionists operated at least one of these officially authorized %u201CKibbutz%u201D training camps[9] over which flew the blue and white banner which would one day be adopted as the national flag of %u201CIsrael%u201D.[10]"

    Source:

    http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/antisemitism/nazisupport.cfm

    The infamous David Ben-Gurion said in 1938:

    "If I knew it was possible to save all the children in Germany by taking them to England, and only half of the children by taking them to Eretz Israel, I would choose the second solution. For we must take into account not only the lives of these children but also the history of the people of Israel."

    Source: http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/zionism/zanda.cfm



    "How far this unbelievable Zionist conspiracy has captured the Jewish masses, and how impossible it is for any different thought to penetrate their minds, even to the point of mere evaluation, can be seen in the vehemence of the reaction to any reproach."

    Source: http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/antisemitism/holocaust/gedalyaliebermann.cfm


    Zionism is terrorism.
    Reply to this comment
    by ban_islam July 25, 2007 4:43 AM EDT
    It is an established historical fact that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist. Posted by tuckerndfw
    ---

    lol, you're wacked dude.


    [To them the body counts from the war are absolutely no different then baseball box scores. That's exactly how they see this war. A game. That's what makes them such complete scum. Posted by RandalDS ]

    Look at this fcuking hypocrite shedding fake tears for his enemy's soldiers-RandalDS of course is a muslim/jihadist who pretends to be a leftist as we all know. Weren't you hoping that Islamists would kill me and those who think like me? And now you're crying over US troops? What a fcuking fraud, I hope the FBI hauls your azz to gitmo one day.

    The man is a walking lie-not just his words, but his character. I'm surprised you haven't had a nervous breakdown or a heart attack from all the contradictions you keep in your head. And if you're a terrorist in the US, it must be really difficult for you not to blow your cover since you seem to have anger issues as well. haha
    Reply to this comment
    by ban_islam July 25, 2007 4:28 AM EDT
    No one is born a Jew. There is no such thing as "Jewish blood." Posted by tuckerndfw
    ----

    Where'd you get your education from, the 'Illiterate Pedophile Prophet's School of Disinformation?'

    There is no such thing as a 'Zionist' or a 'muslim' since these are ideologically based, however a Jew is a cultural designation (not just religious) of a people like an Arab, or a Frenchman.


    [When it comes to hating non-Islamist they all bury their differences and the sect differences only matter when they go against each other! Posted by tbweb ]

    tbweb is correct, muslims will always put aside their differences and unite because they hate us more. There's 8 different sects in Islam, which have varying interpretations of their religion (from mild to extreme like hotsauce). One thing that unites them all is their shared hatred for non-muslims and intent to wage endless war against 'infidels' to Islamify the world. We'll often hear in the media of 'moderates' who are our friends (like Saudis lol), but that's pure ignorance.

    One disclaimer-there are a small minority of muslims that are genuinely good, in that they have do not follow fundamentalist Islam, respect the values of the West and can be our allies. They are also seen as infidels by other muslims and we should unite with them to bring freedom/democracy to their lands and end the centuries of enslavement to a demented and brutal ideology.
    Reply to this comment
    by tuckerndfw July 25, 2007 2:02 AM EDT
    Posted by singinrick at 05:27 PM : Jul 24, 2007

    It is an established historical fact that Adolf Hitler was a Zionist.

    I rarely mention Jews.

    The vast majority of Zionists are not Jews. The majority of Jews are not (real) Jews. A Jew is either: a person born in the Roman province of Judea, a political entity that ceased to exist in 135 CE; or, a person who practices the religion of Judaism.

    No one is born a Jew. There is no such thing as "Jewish blood."

    Zionism is a political movement. Anyone who supports Israel as a "Jewish state" is a Zionist. Most of whom are American Christians.

    Zionism relies on fear for its support.

    The definition of terrorism is using fear to attain a political goal.

    Zionism is terrorism, as is Muslim extremism. Zionism and Muslim extremist are the same thing.

    I agree with Muslim extremists and Zionists that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, but that does not translate into supporting their religously inspired extremist causes.

    And, you once again demonstrate you are a liar because I have made those same points dozens of times, yet you continue to post the same lies you repeatedly post.
    Reply to this comment
    by tuckerndfw July 25, 2007 1:52 AM EDT
    When it comes to hating non-Islamist they all bury their differences and the sect differences only matter when they go against each other!

    Posted by tbweb at 03:51 PM : Jul 24, 2007

    You are incorrect.

    Muslims are no different than anyone else, they do not "think differently." Immediately following 9/11/01, the overwhelming majority of Americans put aside their differences and supported the "war on terror."

    Now that it has been demonstrated to be a total waste of lives, money and effort, much fewer people support the "war on terror" as being conducted by the Bush administration.

    Your comment was not a rebuttal to my original assertion.

    JFK's response to the "Cuban missile crisis" is directly comparable to Iran's response to the US's hostile invasions and occupations of Afghanistan and Iraq. BTW, according to reports, Iranians were helpful with the US effort in Afghanistan.

    But, then again, Afghanis are mostly Sunni, not Shia.
    Reply to this comment
    by djmo1-2009 July 25, 2007 12:23 AM EDT
    "Subcommittee ?? -- This is the administration that successfully shut down every "Subcommittee" for 6 years democrats asked for, now wants a "Subcommittee"?? LOL..."
    Posted by j-whitman at 08:05 PM : Jul 24, 2007


    There is quite a bit on the Iran issue, at the Brookings Institute website. Some of these wizards sound like they may know a thing or two.
    Reply to this comment
    by j-whitman July 24, 2007 11:05 PM EDT
    Subcommittee ?? -- This is the administration that successfully shut down every "Subcommittee" for 6 years democrats asked for, now wants a "Subcommittee"?? LOL...
    Reply to this comment
    by condumism July 24, 2007 9:47 PM EDT
    lars008, a Southern Neocon blurted:

    another prepaid GOP propoganda piece, plagerized in part from the Fascist FOX Network of meaningless nothingness.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 July 24, 2007 9:38 PM EDT
    GOPigs negotiating instead of bombing Afghan weddings?
    Posted by ConDumism at 06:31 PM : Jul 24, 2007

    hahahaha look who is targeting civilians haji...

    Hizbullah Deputy Sec-Gen Sheikh Naim Qassem: We Have Jurisprudent Permission to Carry Out 'Martyrdom' Operations, Fire Missiles on Israeli Civilians From Ayatollah Khomeini
    http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD154907

    Switching Sides: Inside The Enemy Camp

    But then in 2000, well before his arrest, something happened which would make Abas question everything he believed in: a fatwa, a religious edict, was issued by Osama bin Laden.

    "It should be understood that killing Americans and Jews anywhere found are the highest act of worship and the highest form of good deeds in the eyes of Allah," Simon quotes bin Laden.

    Abas and his fellow commanders were ordered to read the fatwa to their men and make sure they carried it out. The others obeyed, but Abas refused. It was his moment of truth. He firmly believed that jihad was to be fought only on the battlefield in defense of Islam; he had always been taught that the killing of civilians had nothing to do with holy war and that it was forbidden.

    The fatwa justified killing non-Muslim civilians everywhere.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/04/60minutes/main2761108.shtml?source=RSSattr=60Minutes_2761108
    American Al Qaeda Member Threatens Attack
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/05/29/terror/main2865282.shtml
    Reply to this comment
    by condumism July 24, 2007 9:31 PM EDT
    GOPigs negotiating instead of bombing Afghan weddings? These Southern Fascist GOPigs are usually so beligerent and full of hate that I'm shocked! Must be our democratic Congress is finally getting to these lying Southern Fascist GOPigs in Washington.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 July 24, 2007 9:31 PM EDT
    I NO LONGER SUPPORT THE OCCUPATION

    The real %u201Coccupation%u201D
    1400 years of muslim occupation

    muslims, whose home is Arabia, have occupied and brutalized for centuries.

    During that time, non muslims have...

    been murdered en masse
    had their land stolen
    their holy places destroyed and desecrated
    been sold into slavery
    their women raped
    their children butchered

    and the arabs have the nerve to whine about "occupation" when non muslims fight back

    I NO LONGER SUPPORT FASCIST NAZI TERRORISLAMIC MUSLIM OCCUPATION
    http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/
    Reply to this comment
    by randalds July 24, 2007 8:51 PM EDT
    Of course it sounds familiar! You post the same garbage day after day on the hour!

    As usual it doesn't relate too the subject.

    Posted by realpatriot1 at 03:18 PM : Jul 24, 2007

    He knows that man. As I wrote in another thread he does get it. He gets it and so do mudrose and dintinhale and singingrick, but the truth is that they don't give a dam*n about how many of our soldiers die in this war. They do not care. to them this is some sort of rah rah game where a long time ago they picked a side to support, much like one picks a football team to cheer and they're gong to cheer on that team no matter what. They honestly are not able to grasp that real people are dying and even the rare times when that truth sinks into their thick skull, they don't care, because all they know is that they decided to cheer for the Bush team and that's what they're going to do. To them the body counts from the war are absolutely no different then baseball box scores. That's exactly how they see this war. A game. That's what makes them such complete scum. To them it's just a game.
    Reply to this comment
    by lars008-2009 July 24, 2007 7:28 PM EDT
    hahahahaha

    the surge is working... lol

    confrontation is working...lol

    Poll: More Muslims Reject Bombings
    Muslims around the world increasingly reject suicide bombings and other violence against civilians in defense of Islam, according to a new international poll dealing with how the world's population judges their lives, countries and national institutions.
    A wide ranging survey of international attitudes in 47 countries by the Pew Research Center also reported that in many of the countries where support for suicide attacks has declined, there has also has been decreasing support for al-Qaida leader Osama bin-Laden.
    http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8QJ5M000&show_article=1

    hahahahahahaha
    Reply to this comment
    by ubrew12 July 24, 2007 7:23 PM EDT
    You helped us take down the Taliban in 2002, then we called you the 'Axis of Evil'. We've been threatening to bomb you to extinction ever since.

    But, hey, lets bury the hatchet and be friends...
    Reply to this comment
    by tbweb July 24, 2007 6:51 PM EDT
    Posted by tuckerndfw at 03:39 PM : Jul 24, 2007,,,

    The real problem is these CBS Blogs which are dynamic and very temporary. Since these CBS Blogs are not real Blogs in the true sense of a Blog, we all keep Posting and making the same points over and over again when it would be easier to review past Post. A lot of good content is lost because of that. I still say that part of the world thinks completely different from the West, for example while Saddam was still in power he flew all his Jets to Iran so the U.S. could not destroy them and had just fought an 8 year war with Iran prior to doing it! The West can't understand or process that kind of thinking and since they don't think like the West I don't compare Western events with theirs, i.e. Cuba, their logic is completely different and doesn't apply! When it comes to hating non-Islamist they all bury their differences and the sect differences only matter when they go against each other!
    Reply to this comment
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