Iraq’s Leader Asks For Aid In Curbing Strife

BAGHDAD, March 10 — Addressing representatives of 13 nations and three international groups, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki opened a much-anticipated regional conference here with a plea to Iraqs neighbors to back his efforts to control the violence engulfing the country by refusing to finance attacks or allow foreign fighters to cross their borders.

"Iraq has become a front-line battlefield," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told delegates at a gathering of reprentatives from Iraqs neighboring countries as well as world powers.

Confrontation of terrorism, dear brothers, requires ceasing any form of financial and media support and religious cover, as well as logistical support and provision of arms and men that would turn out to be explosive tools killing our children, women and elders and bombing our mosques and churches, Mr. Maliki said.

Despite enormous security preparations in the area near the heavily fortified Green Zone and a complete shutdown of streets and roads leading to the Foreign Ministry, where the meeting was held, two mortar rounds landed with thunderclaps nearby: one on a low-slung building just behind the main ministry building where the dignitaries were meeting, the other farther off.

The shells caused no casualties but served as a sharp reminder to the assembled dignitaries that Iraqs government is under siege, its ministers, police forces, army and government workers targets for insurgents. In Sadr City, the vast northern Baghdad neighborhood of poor people, a suicide bomber killed at least seven Iraqi soldiers and wounded scores of civilians returning home from celebrating the religious rite of Arbaeen in Karbala, officials said.

Among the most closely watched participants were the representatives of the United States, Iran and Syria. The Bush administration has repeatedly accused Iran and Syria of worsening the situation in Iraq.

It has recently focused much of its attention on Iran, pressing the nation to halt its nuclear program and charging that it has not only armed and financed militants throughout the region, but that it also has been providing Iraqi militants with devastating explosive devices for use inroadside bombings.

At a briefing partway through the conference, an Iraqi government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, said Iraq did not want to pay any price for any problems between the two countries.

Iran and the United States sent large delegations of 10 representatives each. There were handshakes between the two sides and the delegations traded language back and forth on a bland joint statement issued at the end of the conference, according to a person in the room who was not authorized to speak on the record.

They did not, as the Iraqis had hoped, split off for any one-on-one talks during the conference. Such talks would have been the highest-level direct contacts between Iran and the United States for at least two years.

Their animosities have been heightened by the war in Iraq. With such deep tensions, the Iraqis greatest achievement was to get so many countries with frosty relations to sit in the same room. It was at least in part a recognition that the country is a linchpin in the region.

United States Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad echoed Mr. Malikis call for help from Iraqs neighbors, saying they should halt the flow of fighters, weapons and other lethal support to militias and other illegal armed groups and cease sectarian rhetoric and other propaganda that could incite violence.

After the conference, his assessment of the Iranians pledge to help make Iraq secure was cautious. We will wait and sees what changes on the ground, what happens on the ground in terms of weapons coming across the border, support for groups, support for militias, he said.

In a news conference after the meeting, Abbas Araghchi, an Iranian deputy foreign minister leading Tehrans delegation, responded: The meeting in general was constructive, taking place in a very good environment. But it doesnt mean we didnt raise our concerns about whats going on in Iraq.

One of Irans chief concerns is that the United States has detained six of its diplomats. Iraq accused the Americans of kidnapping, abducting the men. They said the six had diplomatic immunity, including five who are on the staff of Irans consulate in Erbil, Mr. Araghchi said.

Mr. Khalilzad denied that American-led coalition forces had anyone in detention who is a diplomat, and said the coalition went after individuals based on their role in violence. We do not target individuals based on their country of origin.

In the meeting, the Iranians denied the American allegation that Iran has supplied arms to Iraqi militias.

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