Turkey to host meeting of Iraq neighbors this week

ANKARA - A meeting between foreign ministers of Iraq's neighbors, postponed twice amid delays in forming a government in Baghdad, will be held Saturday in Istanbul, the government press office here said Monday.
The talks will follow a meeting Friday between senior diplomats from the participant countries who will prepare the ground for the ministerial gathering, the statement said.
Ibrahim Jaafari, the Iraqi prime minister-designate, has said he wants to attend the conference and address the ministers.
The unveiling of Iraq's new government was again delayed Monday because of last-minute negotiations between political factions.
Officials in Baghdad said the cabinet may be finally announced Tuesday, 12 weeks after the January 30 general elections in the war-torn country.
The last meeting of the foreign ministers of Iraq and its six neighbors -- Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, Syria, and Turkey -- plus Egypt was held in Amman in January.
The ministers have met regularly since January 2003, when Turkey spearheaded the initiative as part of efforts to force Baghdad to comply with UN resolutions and avert a US intervention.

04/25/2005 13:57 GMT