DAR AL HARB / ISLAM - U.S.A./IRAN: RICE & THE UNITED STATES IS OPEN TO BI-LATERAL TALKS WITH IRAN

Rice open to bilateral talks with Iran at meeting

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is open to direct talks with Iran over its role in Iraq when she attends a meeting of Iraq's neighbors and world powers, the State Department said on Thursday.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Rice did not rule out bilateral talks with the Iranians at the ministerial-level meeting, which Iraq's government says is likely early next month at an as-yet undisclosed location.

"We will not exclude any particular diplomatic interaction. There was one at the envoys level ... and the same would hold true for the secretary," McCormack told reporters.

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