The March 10 Baghdad security conference was hailed as a success by Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who labeled the meeting "constructive and positive." But other observers tended to view the event through the prism of the country's sectarian divisions.

President Bush says the Iraq regional conference held Saturday in Baghdad was positive, but he is waiting to see if participants turn their words into action. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports the president spoke in Bogota, Colombia at the midway point of his Latin American tour.

Iran's Foreign Ministry has called the March 10 Baghdad security conference a good "first step" toward the eventual restoration of peace in Iraq. But individually, Iranian officials have appeared wary of the United States and its motives at the conference.

The key players at the March 10 international security conference in Baghdad are calling it a good first step. And all have agreed to hold a second, higher-level meeting soon.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki says he hopes an international conference hosted by Baghdad will help build a regional consensus on how to end violence in his country.

Iraq has confirmed that the United States, Iran and Syria will participate in a conference on the country's security.

The White House has rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin's allegations that the United States had made the world a more dangerous place.

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today in Munich that NATO countries must work in partnership with Russia on security matters.

Russian President Vladimir Putin strongly criticized the United States and other Western countries during a major security conference today.

Political leaders and security experts from some 40 nations open the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy today, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and many other policymakers are expected to speak.