BAGHDAD -- When U.S. and Iranian officials meet in the Iraqi capital today in search of ways to bring stability to Iraq, both sides will have much to ask for, much they could offer - and only limited expectations for quick progress.
At best, the rare direct talks, which were announced early this month, will start a dialogue between longtime foes who view each other's involvement in Iraq as an unwelcome interference.
Iran will want a deal on the armed Iranian opposition group, the People's Mujahedeen, which is based in eastern Iraq under the watch of the U.S. military.
The Islamic republic will also want the release of five Iranians detained by the U.S. Army in February. And it will seek firm guarantees that the United States will not use Iraq as a base for military strikes on Iran.
The American delegation will want Iran to cut its alleged support for Shiite and Sunni militants, who are greatly contributing to the violence and disorder in Iraq. The U.S. side will additionally demand that Tehran halt its alleged trafficking of armor-piercing bombs into Iraq.
The head of the American delegation, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, is no stranger to the Iranians. According to news media reports, the diplomat met with Iranian diplomats in 2003 at a time when Tehran had put out feelers about normalizing its relations with the United States, which were severed in 1980 after Iranian militants took 52 Americans hostage.
For his part, the head of the Iranian delegation, Ambassador to Iraq Hasan Kazemi Qomi, has been accused of membership in the Quds Force, a secret branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
The talks are scheduled to take place at a secret location in Baghdad's Green Zone, the fortified home of the Iraqi government and the U.S. Embassy.
The Iraqis are expected to be represented at the talks by their Foreign Ministry.
One high-ranking Shiite Muslim official in the Iraqi government, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks, predicted Iraq would play the role of honest broker, but he cautioned talks would not produce instant progress.
"The relations between the United States and Iran are complicated. Resolving them is not easy. It will not happen in one or two meetings, but we should begin. This meeting will focus only on the Iraqi issue," the official said.
