Iraq's foreign minister says Iran and Syria have agreed to take part in a regional security conference in Baghdad that will include delegations from the United States and other world powers.
Hoshyar Zebari told the Associated Press Wednesday that Iran's government will take part in the March 10th meeting, but says Tehran has raised "questions" about the arrangements.
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Zebari says he will soon issue formal invitations to the Baghdad conference to Iraq's neighbors and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.
U.S. and Syrian officials have have confirmed that they will attend the meeting to discuss ways to stabilize Iraq.
White House spokesman Tony Snow says U.S. participation in the conference does not mean U.S. officials will hold direct talks with Iran or Syria. Washington accuses both countries of contributing to violence in Iraq, a charge they deny.
In violence Wednesday, Iraqi police say a car bomb blast in southern Baghdad killed at least 10 people and wounded seven others. Northeast of Baghdad, gunmen killed two brothers of a prominent Sunni Arab politician in troubled Diyala province.
The U.S. military says soldiers killed eight suspected militants and captured six others in raids in and around Baghdad.
In other incidents Wednesday, insurgents killed a U.S. Marine in al-Anbar province and an American soldier in Baghdad. Gunmen also killed a British soldier in the southern city of Basra.
Some information for this report was provided by AP.