On April 29, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not rule out the possibility of talking to Iranian officials at the meeting.

The United States has accused Iran of aiding the insurgents in Iraq, but al-Rubay'i said Iraq had no solid evidence to prove this.

Al-Rubay'i is in the southern U.S. city of Tampa, Florida, to attend a meeting of member nations of the U.S.-led coalitions fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

U.S. President George W. Bush is scheduled to address the meeting on May 1 at U.S. Central Command headquarters.

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