Intl. Iraq Summit Seeks Regional Solutions

Iraqi President Nouri al-Maliki has convened a conference of neighboring countries and global players seeking an end to the country’s violence.

The conference, which was also intended to address Iraq’s energy crisis and the flood of refugees to other countries, is similar to a conference held six months ago, Al Jazeera reported Sunday.

Iran, the G8 countries and the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were among the 22 delegations at the conference.

In his opening remarks, al-Maliki emphasized the regional nature of the problems, and portrayed Iraq as an arena in which the United States and Iran can work together.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said a resolution to Iraq’s problems is key to security in the entire Middle East region.

The country’s neighbors could also be essential to peace in Iraq, the network said, since the U.S. military has accused Iran and Syria of supporting violent groups.