The Egyptian Foreign Ministry hosted on Sunday two preparatory meetings for the expected international conference on Iraq which sets to open in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in late November.

The first meeting brought together representatives of Iraqi neighboring countries and the second was attended by ambassadors ofG8 countries and China in Cairo as well as delegates of the United Nations, the European Union, the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Egypt handed out formal invitations to the Iraq conference at the meetings, which also covered its latest preparations for the gathering.

As Egypt prepares for the Iraq conference, there has been a hot debate over whether Iraqi political parties and organizations other than the interim government would be able to attend the meeting. France, which strongly opposes the US-led war in Iraq, has called for a broader gathering that would allow Iraqi political forces opposing the US occupation to participate.

Source: Xinhua