Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says a time limit for foreign troops in Iraq will be debated at a regional conference in neighbouring Kuwait. Iraq, its neighbours and permanent members of the UN Security Council are attending.
Intelligence-sharing and improved border controls will also be discussed. The United States says it will be pushing Iraq's neighbours to help the country by opening embassies, offering debt relief and backing its drive to disarm Shi’ite militias. Sergey Lavrov is expected to hold talks with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The conference will be Kuwait's highest profile international meeting since the Gulf War.