A senior U.S. official indicated on Thursday that the United States is open to bilateral talks with Iran and Syria at a regional meeting on Iraq this weekend.

"If we are approached over orange juice by the Syrians or the Iranians to discuss an Iraq-related issue that is germane to this topic -- stable, secure, peaceful, democratic Iraq -- we are not going to turn and walk away," David Satterfield, the State Department's Iraq coordinator, said a new briefing.

However, Satterfield added, whether or not such talks are held would depend in part on the Syrian and Iranian stance at the Saturday conference.

Satterfield's remarks are "the clearest indication yet" that U. S. officials were ready to hold direct bilateral talks with the Iranians and Syrians -- long a diplomatic taboo under President George W. Bush, Agence France Presse said.

An international conference on Iraq's security, sponsored by the Iraqi government, is due to be held in Baghdad on March 10. The United States, Iran and Syria, among many others, have announced they will attend the conference.

Source: Xinhua