Rice says Arabs must shield Iraq from Iran's sway

By Sue Pleming

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday she would press Iraq's Arab neighbors hard next week to do more to support Baghdad's government and shield it from Iran's "nefarious influences."

Rice, set to attend a conference of Iraq's neighbors in Kuwait on Tuesday, said her message would be for Arab states to fulfill their promises to increase diplomatic, economic, social and cultural ties with Baghdad's government.

"What Iraq now needs most and what I will push for in Kuwait is greater support from its neighbors," Rice said. "That includes establishing embassies in Baghdad and exchanging ambassadors."

Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors, notably Saudi Arabia, have so far resisted U.S. pressure to open embassies in Baghdad, which Washington argues would bolster the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and help counter the influence of neighboring Shi'ite Iran.

Rice said Iraq should be "fully reincorporated" into the Arab world by its neighbors, who have been suspicious of Maliki's government and its ties with Iran.

Iraq is an Arab nation while Iran's roots are Persian. Both countries, however, have majority Shi'ite populations.

"What they need to do is confirm and work for Iraq's Arab identity," she said. "That in and of itself will begin to shield (Iraq) from influences of Iran that are nefarious influences," Rice said at a news conference.

She also said Iraq's Arab neighbors could help encourage the Sunni minority to participate more fully in the political process in Iraq and to offer Baghdad much-needed debt relief, which has been slow in coming.