The U.S. military is stepping up its security operation in Iraq's restive Diyala Governorate.

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 Nouri al-Maliki has called for international support to help cut off networks aiding extremists in his war-torn country.

Iraqi officials have described as "constructive" a first-of-its kind regional security meeting in Baghdad. Officials from the United States, Iran, and Syria - plus a dozen other states and regional organizations - took part in the one-day conference, which was aimed at engaging Iraq's neighbors, especially Iran and Syria, in efforts to curb the violence in the country.

Representatives of Iraq's neighboring countries, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and Arab and Muslim nations are all scheduled to meet in Baghdad this Saturday, March 10 to seek some kind of regional consensus that will end the violence in Iraq. But, as VOA correspondent Gary Thomas reports, analysts see the conference as a first step and do not expect any major breakthroughs.

A new report by a senior analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations recommends the United States withdraw most of its armed forces from Iraq within the next 12 to 18 months. The recommendation comes as more than 21,000 additional U.S. troops are arriving in Iraq in an effort to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad and fight insurgents in al-Anbar province.

A U.S. official says U.S. diplomats will not "walk away" if they are approached by Iranian and Syrian diplomats at a conference on stabilizing Iraq scheduled to be held in Baghdad on March 10.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives announced they will sponsor legislation setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008.

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.

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks with King Abdullah.