Iran says talks in Tehran to help end Iraq clashes

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran says it aims to help end fighting in its neighbour by talking to an Iraqi delegation visiting the Islamic Republic, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who won assurances Iran would help stabilise his country when he visited last year, has sent the delegation to tell Iranian officials to stop backing Shi'ite militias, Iraqi officials said.

"Iranian officials will be holding talks with the delegation with a view to helping resolve the differences and clashes in Iraq," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted late on Thursday as saying.

"Tehran has generally emphasised stability and security in Iraq and the invitation to the Iraqi delegation has been for this goal, and Iran's past measures have been to bring stability and security in Iraq," he said without giving further details.

The delegation from Maliki's ruling United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) left for Tehran on Wednesday after fresh U.S. accusations that newly made Iranian weapons have been found in Iraq.

Washington accuses Tehran of financing, training and equipping militias inside Iraq. Iran denies this and says violence in Iraq is because of the presence of U.S. troops. It has said Washington should withdraw its forces.

Maliki, a Shi'ite like the overwhelming majority of Iranians, visited Tehran in August when Iranian officials said Tehran was making a "special effort" to help provide security.

Analysts say Tehran wants to keep a friendly, Shi'ite-led government in charge but wants to ensure rival Iraqi Shi'ite factions look to the Islamic Republic as a power broker.

They also say Iran wants a stable Iraq, after fighting a bloody war with its neighbour in the 1980s, but at the same time Iran does not want gives its long-time foe, the United States, an easy ride lest considers military action its row with Tehran.