Iraq-Turkey-U.S. talks begin in Istanbul on developing Iraq’s gas …

The third official energy meeting involving Iraqi, Turkish and U.S. officials began Friday in Istanbul, and though a top State Department official doesn't expect "huge breakthroughs," he hopes to see progress in developing a gas pipeline that will eventually feed Europe's demand after edging out Russia and excluding Iran.

"The overall goal is to figure out how best to attract investment to stimulate gas production in Iraq, so that there's enough gas for Iraq's domestic consumption and for export," Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza told United Press International's Ben Lando before heading to Turkey. "We would hope that once there's enough gas for Iraq's domestic consumption that there will be a significant quantity that will be exported into Europe up via Turkey into the Nabucco and Turkey-Greece-Italy pipelines." ...