Iraqi Leaders Agree to More Talks

Iraqi leaders, meeting in Finland, have agreed to a third round of peace and reconciliation talks. Next time, at a date to be determined, they plan to convene in Baghdad.

This development caps three days of secret sessions among three dozen representatives from the disparate factions in Iraq: Sunni, Shia, and Kurd.

It was the second such gathering. In September last year, similar talks led to the co-called Helsinki Agreement. It established principles for future negotiations on peace and reconciliation in Iraq.

Joining WBUR's Delores Handy from Helsinki to talk about the latest developments is Padraig O'Malley, who convened the meeting amidst a great deal of secrecy and security. He's a Distinguished Professor of Peace and Reconciliation at UMass-Boston's McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies.