An interesting article

Jaw to jawLeaderTuesday May 29, 2007The Guardian
It was only after a prolonged tussle between pragmatists and hardliners that the regime decided to participate in the talks - and heaven knows what was happening in Iran. But, for once, the US vice president Dick Cheney's band of neo-conservatives were outgunned by the combined forces of the State Department, the CIA and the Pentagon. Thus yesterday saw, for the first time since 1980, direct talks between an American and an Iranian ambassador.
The scope of the talks was strictly limited. Iran's nuclear ambitions and its funding of Hamas and Hizbullah were off the table. US ambassador Ryan Crocker and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Kazemi-Qomi focused exclusively on security in Iraq. But there was more than enough to talk about there. The run-up to yesterday's talks saw an orchestrated chorus of claim and counter-claim. Last week one US official accused Iran of fighting a proxy war in Iraq and forging secret ties with al-Qaida. Another characterised Iran's role in Iraq as a player who bet on every horse in every race. On Sunday, Iran responded by accusing the Americans of launching espionage networks within its own borders. Other less obvious messages were also delivered. There was the unexpected appearance of the Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, who before the start of the US-led crackdown in Baghdad had disappeared and taken shelter in Iran. Before his disappearance, Moqtada overplayed his hand by withdrawing his support from the Iraqi government only to find that it continued much as before. Iran may now be trying to push him back into the government.
If Washington wanted more co-operation from Iran in curtailing the violence, Iran wanted from Washington more guarantees about Shia power in Baghdad. Iranian demands also include the dislodging of an Iranian opposition group - the Mujahedin Khalq - from its Iraqi base, and the release of five Iranian diplomats detained by the Americans in Mosul.
After four hours, the talks broke up. The Americans said they had been business-like but that Iran now had to withdraw its backing from various militias that are fighting Iraqi and coalition forces. But Mr Crocker revealed that Iran had proposed setting up a "trilateral security mechanism" that would include the US, Iraq and Iran. The Americans remain cautious about such a plan - and there are pitfalls, as the forum could appear to elevate Iran, which is only one of several neighbours of Iraq, to the same status as the US and Iraq itself. But such talks must be considered. Even if the US and Iran start to regulate their relationship, Iran is only one factor in the destablisation of Iraq. Take away Iran's role and there still will be an insurgency and multiple civil conflicts in Iraq.