Monday, November 28 2005 10:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New York: US President George W Bush has asked American Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad to reach out to Iran for assistance in controlling the unrest in Iraq, a media report said.

United States Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad was quoted by sources as saying he has received explicit permission from Bush to begin a diplomatic dialogue with Iran on the issue.

"I've been authorized by the president to engage the Iranians as I engaged them in Afghanistan directly," Khalilzad told sources. "There will be meetings, and that's also a departure and an adjustment". But he also emphasized the dangers of a panicky pullout of US troops.

"People need to be clear what the stakes are here," he said. "If we were to do a premature withdrawal, there could be a Shia-Sunni war here that could spread beyond Iraq. And you could have Iran backing the Shias and Sunni Arab states backing the Sunnis," he said.

There could be a regional war for a very long time and affect the security of oil supplies, he added.

Besides, "terrorists could take over part of this country and expand from here. And given the resources of Iraq, given the technical expertise of its people, it will make Afghanistan look like child's play," he said.

In the New Year, there will be a new coherent strategy on the ground in Iraq, largely the handiwork of Gen. George Casey, commander of the Multinational Forces, and Khalilzad, said sources.