Washington, Oct 30: Iran should hand over members of al-Qaeda currently in their country, White House spokesman Scott Mcclellan said, one day after a senior State Department official suggested that Washington could hold limited talks with Tehran. Iran must change its behaviour, especially concerning its relationship with al-Qaeda and a related group, Ansar al-Islam, Mcclellan said yesterday.

Iranian officials have acknowledged they have detained a number of top al-Qaeda figures, but have refused to give any hints as to their identities.

Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage on Tuesday told the Senate foreign relations committee that the United States may hold limited talks with Iran, but normal relations are not on the table. "We are prepared to engage in limited discussions with the Government of Iran about areas of mutual interest, as appropriate," Armitage said.

The US has "long had existing established channels of communication with Iran. And we will continue to use those channels to raise issues of mutual concern," he said.

Bureau Report