24 April Washington Post - Rice Urges Iran To Attend Mideast Meeting on Iraq by Robin Wright.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice called on Iran not to boycott a conference next week of the major countries and parties with a stake in the future of Iraq, at which the United States and Iran would have an opportunity for senior-level talks.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said yesterday that Iran is still "reviewing" whether it will attend. Yet in a reflection of the sometimes bizarre relations between Tehran and Washington, he also called for direct talks with President Bush. "Last year I announced readiness for a televised debate over global issues with His Excellency Mr. Bush, and now we announce that I am ready to negotiate with him about bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying by an Iranian television channel. He made similar comments in an interview with Reuters.

U.S. and Middle East officials dismissed the offer as grandstanding...