The United States said on Tuesday it would attend regional conferences on stabilizing Iraq to which Iran and Syria have also been invited, opening the way to a dialogue that critics have long demanded.

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Washington accuses Iran and Syria of fuelling the violence in Iraq and has spurned suggestions - including in the December report of a high-level Iraq Study Group - that recommended reach out to both to try to stabilize Iraq.

Washington brands both countries state sponsors of terrorism and says Iranian elements have provided sophisticated roadside bombs used in Iraq. The United States accuses Syria of fanning the strife by failing to control its border.

The mid-March meeting would be a chance for Western and regional powers to try to bridge some of their differences, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.

"Our hope is that this will be an ice-breaking attempt for maybe holding other meetings in the future. We want Iraq, instead of being a divisive issue, to be a unifying issue," Zebari said by telephone from Denmark where he is on a visit.

The State Department would not rule out the possibility US officials might hold bilateral talks with Iranians on the sidelines of the planned conferences - a mid-level meeting in March and a ministerial meeting that may be held in April.

But the White House played down the chances of such talks, stressing its position that Iran first suspend uranium enrichment that the United States believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon, a charge Tehran denies.

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