UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The Bush administration wants to enlist the United Nations help to get Iraq’s neighbors behind a plan to support the struggling government in Baghdad.
The Washington Post reported Friday that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad said the White House is proposing that the U.N. facilitate talks on stabilizing Iraq with some of its most powerful neighbors, including Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
"I think you need regional help to get the Iraqis to come together," Khalilzad told the Post. "For us, it's so hard to do this."
The proposal came to light after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates did not reach deals with Middle East leaders after a trip to the region last week, the newspaper reported.
The U.N. Security Council Friday approved a resolution extending its mission in Iraq.
