The upcoming international conferences on Iraq has started its consultative meetings for a final communique on key issues, including the pullout of foreign forces from Iraq, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

The consultative meetings at the level of senior officials are meant to phrase the final communique to be issued at the end of the two-day conference due to be held in Egypt's Red Sea resort Sharm el-Sheikh on May 3-4, MENA said.

Diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that the various sides are close to reach a satisfactory formula on a key issue, namely the pullout of foreign forces from Iraq, but the formula does not refer to any timetable for the withdrawal.

On Tuesday, U.S. President George W. Bush vetoed a war spending bill that aimed to set a timetable for American troops to withdraw from Iraq, branding the bill "unacceptable."

The two high-profile ministerial meetings, the International Compact with Iraq conference on Thursday and expanded Iraq's neighboring countries conference on Friday, will gather senior diplomats from Iraq's six neighbors -- Iran, Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait -- plus Bahrain, Egypt, the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference and the United Nations.

Also attending will be senior diplomats from the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia and France -- and members of the G-8, including Germany, Canada, Japan and Italy.

The Sharm el-Sheikh conference will be the largest international ministerial meeting on Iraq since the U.S.-led coalition forces seized Baghdad in April of 2003.

Source: Xinhua