Roundup: Much-anticipated security conference ends with limited results

A one-day security conference aimed at seeking solutions to Iraq's deteriorating situation ended with limited results in Baghdad on Saturday.

In an emotional opening speech, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki urged neighboring countries and other countries to refrain from interfering in his country's internal affairs and to support his government to give a success to the ongoing political process and bring security to the war-torn country.

"We call on our brothers and friends to take a unified stand

toward the Iraqi people with no distinction along sectarian or ethnic lines," al-Maliki said, adding that Iraq would not intervene in other countries' affairs and in the mean time it would not accept interventions from others.

"We will not accept, whatsoever, that Iraq becomes a battlefield for regional or international conflicts. Therefore, we demand the meeting delegations and the international community not let some countries support certain parties in Iraq," he said.

He also warned that violence that is beating Iraq could spread throughout the region and that the price that is being paid by Iraqis would be paid by others.

"Terrorism which kills Iraqis is the same that hits World Trade Center in New York and is the same that kills people in Saudi Arabia and other states," he said.

The conference kicked off earlier in the day at a heavily fortified area at the edge of the Green Zone in central Baghdad.

After al-Maliki's speech, the meeting turned to a closed-door session.

The delegations were mostly represented by ambassadors in Iraq, but the United States sent David Satterfield, Secretary of State

Condoleezza Rice's top adviser on Iraq, along with its Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad.

At a news conference after the meeting, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the talks were "positive and constructive. "

He said that the envoys had agreed on the establishment of three technical committees concerning security cooperation, Iraqi refugees and energy.

But the participants failed to agree on the date and venue of a following-up ministerial-level meeting, he said. Iraq hoped to host the meeting, but some proposed that the conference be held in Cairo or Istanbul.

Meanwhile, the conference provided a rare opportunity for U.S. and Iran to hold one-on-one talks.

U.S. Ambassador Khalilzad told reporters after the meeting that he held "constructive and businesslike" talks on Iraq's security with Iranian officials.

"I met with them directly and I met with them in front of others and spoke to them across a table as well. The discussions with the Iranians and others with regard to Iraq were constructive, businesslike and problem-solving in orientation," he said.

"The dialogue with Iran was a good step toward security in Iraq and we are waiting for the Iranians' commitment to what we talked about," he said.

Also on Saturday, several bombings rocked Baghdad, killing at least 12 and wounding dozens, including a mortar attack near the venue of the security conference.

The latest violence highlights the deteriorating security situation in the capital, though U.S. and Iraqi authorities have launched a new security plan, widely seen as the last chance to restore peace and stability in the war-torn country.

Source: Xinhua