Bush says Iraqi conferences will be 'test' for Iran

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush said Tuesday that upcoming international conferences on Iraq's security will be "a test" of whether Iran and Syria are serious about helping to dampen violence there.

"These meetings will be an important test. They'll be a test of whether Iran and Syria are truly interested in being constructive forces in Iraq," Bush said in a speech to the American Legion US veterans organization.

"It's going to be a test for the international community to express its support for this young democracy, to support a nation that will be at peace with its neighbors," said the US president.

Bush was referring to Iraq's call for a March 10 conference in Baghdad grouping officials from Iraq's neighbors as well as the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States -- and the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

The US president also noted that there would be a subsequent meeting in April of foreign ministers from around the world, including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, to discuss Iraq's future.