BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari officially opened a conference of regional countries and world powers -- including the United States, Iran and Syria -- in Baghdad on Saturday.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki shook hands with the delegates before taking the stage.

Iraq called the mid-level meeting to enlist support to end violence four years after the U.S. invasion but it was also a rare opportunity for officials from Washington and Tehran to meet at a time of growing tension over Iran's nuclear ambitions.

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