Yesterday, the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with the Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain in order to call for a greater financial and diplomatic support for the Shiite-led government in Baghdad.

The discussions were held with counterparts from eight Arab countries and Iraq and covered many aspects of their relations. The issues discussed referred to whether the other countries want to send their ambassadors to Baghdad, whether they are willing to forgive Iraq’s debts and also the massive Gaza violence and the Lebanese political crisis.

“A number of countries around the table talked about their desire to have permanent representatives,” Ms. Rice said according to the New York Times and referring to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait.

She also explained the debt situation, saying that the demands for canceling the debts are well known and it will just be a matter of time until the details will be set. The remaining $67 billion is mostly owed to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Ms. Rice emphasized the need to counter Iran’s growing influence in the region. She said that the U.S. believes the Shiite militias receive fire power in Basra and Baghdad from Iran and that measures must be taken immediately.

The Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also commented on the discussions, saying that he expects some conclusions to be reached by July 31 and that: "It's not going to be easy. If you want to reach a final agreement, there has to be compromise," as quoted by the Washington Post.