Most want dialogue with Iran, N. Korea

CHICAGO, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Most U.S. residents want the government to talk to leaders of "unfriendly" nations such as Iran, North Korea and Cuba, a survey released Monday indicates.

The results of the poll performed by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 65 percent of respondents wanted to open a dialogue with Iran, 68 percent favored doing so with North Korea and 70 percent favored such moves with Cuba.

Also, a majority of respondents, 67 percent, said they do not favor an open-ended military commitment to Iraq, while more than 80 percent wanted to improve the United States' standing in the international community.

"Americans remain committed to international engagement and a robust military presence overseas," said Chicago Council on Global Affairs President Marshall Bouton in a release. "But they also want international efforts to be more focused and selective, and to call upon the country's full diplomatic arsenal to resolve conflict, findings that both presidential candidates should take very seriously."

The survey consisted of interviews with 1,505 U.S. adults conducted between July 3-15, and carried an error margin of 3.7 percent.