"The meeting will be held in the near future in southern Iraq," said Major Rumi Nielson-Green, a military spokeswoman at the US war headquarters in Qatar. "It will be one of many such meetings held at regional and national levels."

She said representatives "from across all of Iraqi society, including expatriates" would attend the gathering that will be facilitated by the US Central Command (Centcom.)

Among those attending will be US envoy to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad.

Ghassan al-Atiyyah, a participant in the planned meeting, said in London earlier the gathering would discuss the future of post-Saddam Iraq.

"The meeting will be a step to demonstrate that the opposition is present on the ground in Iraq and that the coalition deals with all parties without favoring any side," al-Atiyah said.

SPACE.WIRE