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Y
Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen has begun talks with Iraqi officials and their political rivals to convince them attend a reconciliation conference that Yemen is expected to host, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu-Bakr al-Qerbi said in remarks published Sunday.
The minister, whose comments were published by a state-run website, said the Arab League and Iraq's neighbouring countries were involved in the discussions over the planned meeting.
'All the Iraqi factions should take part in the conference,' the minister said, adding that such a meeting is 'badly needed' to unify the Iraqi people and 'avert a civil war.'
Al-Qerbi did not give a date for the proposed conference.