BAGHDAD, March 10 (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al- Maliki said on Saturday national reconciliation was crucial to saving Iraq.

"The reconciliation initiative is the ship that will save us," Maliki told delegates to a regional conference in Baghdad, including deputy foreign ministers and other officials from Iran, Syria and the United States.

"Iraq, with its strategic location, must be seen as a key factor and an important player in the regional and international field," Maliki told the opening session of the one-day conference aimed at halting sectarian violence four years after the U.S. invasion.

The mid-level meeting was 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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