Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said in Damascus on Friday that his country would continue talks with the United States on stabilizing Iraq if Washington changes its policy towards the war-torn country.

At a joint press conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid al-Muallem at the end of his two-day visit, Mottaki said Iran is studying the results of the recent Baghdad meeting between Iranian and U.S. ambassadors.

"If there is a real willingness on the part of the U.S. administration to change its policy towards Iraq, we will continue them (the talks)," Mottaki told the press conference.

He added that the lack of security and stability in Iraq and the continuation of the occupation there "are the root causes of the crisis".

Mottaki said Iran could play a role in ending the crisis and might study an outlet for the U.S. to go out of its impasse.

Iran and the U.S. held talks in Baghdad on Monday which was the highest-level official one-on-one talks since the two countries broke off relations shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic revolution.

Mottaki arrived here on Thursday to discuss with Syrian officials expansion of bilateral ties and regional developments.

Describing his talks with Syrian leaders as "excellent and important", Mottaki said the two sides discussed the latest developments in Iraq, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, in addition to Israel's plots in the region.

Mottaki said the points of view were identical between Damascus and Tehran and friendship and cooperation between the two countries is endless.

Iran and Syria oppose the use of power in the region and call for the departure of all foreign forces from the region, said Mottaki.

Muallem echoed Mottaki's remarks, saying Syria and Iran seek security in the region through political solutions.

The two ministers also reiterated their keenness on maintaining security and stability in the Middle East through joint cooperation and coordination.

Source: Xinhua