By Sue Pleming
KUWAIT (Reuters) - Seeking to improve ties between Baghdadand its neighbours, the United States and Iraq will push hardon Tuesday for Arab states to open embassies and offer debtrelief while backing Iraq's new drive to disarm militias.
The meeting in Kuwait of Iraq's neighbours plus majorpowers follows two similar conferences last year in Egypt andTurkey that were called to try to stabilise Iraq.
This time, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice willargue that Iraq is making greater attempts to boost securityand political reconciliation and urge Arab states to followthrough on their promises of diplomatic ties and financial aid.
"I think it's fair to say that the neighbours could do moreto live up to their obligations because I do believe the Iraqisare beginning to live up to theirs," Rice told reporterstravelling with her.
Iraq's recent attempts to crush Shi'ite militias will alsobe a central topic and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki isexpected to urge Arab countries to back those efforts.
A draft of a statement to be issued on Tuesday at themeeting said participants "welcome the Iraqi government'scommitment to disarm and dismantle all militias and illegallyarmed groups, enforcing the rule of law, and ensuring thestate's monopoly on armed forces."
The statement, obtained by Reuters, also urged the"maintaining or opening of diplomatic missions in Iraq".
Promises have been made by Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to openup embassies in Baghdad and the U.S. hope is that if Riyadhannounces firm plans and dates then others will follow.
None of the Arab states yet has a major diplomatic presencein Baghdad, largely due to security concerns but also suspicionover the Shi-ite-led Iraqi government.
After several hours of meetings with Arab ministers inBahrain on Monday, Rice got a lukewarm response to her appealfor embassies to open but she told reporters the process wasmoving forward and Iraq was gaining acceptance in the region.
LEBANON TALKS
Previous neighbours' meetings in Egypt last May andIstanbul in November, were dominated by tensions between theUnited States and Iran, which Washington accuses of stirring upviolence in Iraq and of arming and training Shi'ite militias.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Rice had noplans to hold bilateral talks with the Iranian foreignminister, who is in Kuwait for the conference. Previously shehas exchanged pleasantries with the Iranian but did not haveany substantive talks.
On the sidelines of the last two meetings, Rice met herSyrian counterpart and urged Damascus to stop what Washingtoncalls meddling in Lebanon's affairs.
McCormack said there were no plans this time for Rice tohold private talks with the Syrians but France has organised aseparate meeting to discuss Lebanon's presidential deadlock.
Lebanon is in the midst of its worst political crisis sincethe 1975-1990 civil war, leaving the country without apresident since November.
That Lebanon meeting will be attended by envoys fromGermany, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, theUnited States, Jordan, Italy, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Britainand Russia.
European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana, ArabLeague chief Amr Moussa and a representative of U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon are also expected to attend the meeting,which will call for the immediate election of a new president.