An international meeting on ways to stabilize Iraq ended on May 4 without any direct talks between U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki.

A semi-official Iranian news agency reports that Iran is not ready to negotiate with the United States at a major international conference on Iraq, to be held this week in Egypt. The Iranian Students News Agency, ISNA quotes Iranian officials as saying conditions are not right for talks between the two nations.

Top diplomats from around the world are arriving in Egypt for a conference on stabilizing Iraq. The representatives from Iraq's neighbors and other countries will discuss relieving Iraq's debt and bringing peace to the country during their meetings at the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

International efforts to stabilize Iraq continue later this week when regional and international leaders meet in Egypt to discuss how Iraq's neighbors and the international community can help bring peace to the war-torn country. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer looks at the upcoming Sharm El-Sheikh conference.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has urged Iran to take part in a meeting next month in Egypt on how to end the Iraq war. In an interview published in today's "Financial Times," Rice said it would be a "missed opportunity" if Tehran failed to attend.

Iran says it has yet to decide on whether to attend a high-level conference on Iraq's security to be held in May. Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammad Reza Baqeri today was quoted by the Fars News Agency as saying that "Iran has not yet decided" but will announce a decision "in due course."