Iraq's foreign minister urged Iran and the United States on Wednesday to stop trading accusations and sit down for a fourth round of talks to seek solutions to Iraq's security woes. Hoshiyar Zebari said Iraq-hosted talks between the two bitter foes - one of the few forums in which they have direct diplomatic contact - had stalled. But he hoped they could soon be revived.
The Iraqis have repeatedly said they do not want their territory to become the battleground in a proxy war between the United States and Iran, who are also at loggerheads over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
"We believe it is very important to bring both parties to the negotiating table to discuss Iraqi security issues," Zebari told a news conference. "We can't currently make this happen with both countries trading accusations against each other."