Iraqi dissidents meet with U.S. officials

Dr. Hamid Al-Bayat, a spokesman for the Iraqi Opposition Coalition delegation addresses reporters, Friday in Washington.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Representatives from six Iraqi opposition groups said Friday they had "important and constructive" talks with U.S. State Department and Pentagon officials, and they sensed a growing commitment from the U.S. government.

In a statement after the two-hour meeting, a spokesman said the opposition groups expressed "our vision for the overthrow of the dictatorial regime in Iraq, and the establishment of a democratic and pluralistic government."

Hamid al-Bayati said the groups asked for U.S. help in protecting Iraqis from repression under the regime of President Saddam Hussein, and in establishing a democratic government.

The group plans to convene a meeting open to all Iraqi opposition groups in a European nation, an event the State Department said could take place "in the next few months."

Both the Iraqis and Bush administration officials who were in the meeting said they saw Friday's talks as a turning point in the relationship between the opposition groups seeking to overthrow Hussein.

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Without offering specifics, al-Bayati, in answer to reporters' questions, said, "We sense more seriousness and commitment from the U.S. government to overthrow Saddam regime and to work with the opposition."

Deputy State Department Spokesman Philip Reeker issued a statement, saying both sides "had a productive discussion focusing on coordination of the U.S. government's work with the Iraqi opposition and enhancing cooperation among Iraq opposition groups." President Bush has made seeking a regime change in Iraq a part of U.S. policy.

Vice President Dick Cheney will address the group Saturday via a "secure videoconference" from his home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, an administration official and Iraqi opposition sources confirmed to CNN.

The meeting Friday was co-hosted by Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith.

Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped by the meeting and met all of the leaders, something he has never done before.

"Our shared goal is that the Iraqi people should be free," he told them, according to a senior administration official, who was in the meeting.

Those attending represent what the administration considers the six most prominent Iraqi opposition groups.

The representatives included: Sharif Ali bin Hussein, of the Constitutional Monarchy Movement; Iyad Allawi, of the Iraqi National Accord; Mohammed Bakr al-Hakim, of the Iran-based Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution; Masoud Barzani, of the Kurdish Democratic Party; Ahmad Chalabi, of the Iraqi National Congress; and Jalal Talabani, of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

In a telephone interview following the meeting, Chalabi told CNN that the United States made clear it was the opposition's "partners in the removal of Saddam."

"We got their united support," Chalabi said, adding the United States expressed a willingness to "move forward on practical matters."

He added that members of the opposition would remain in Washington to continue their meetings with U.S. officials.

Senior State Department officials said the meeting was also held in part to encourage the groups to cooperate better with each other, because the opposition's efforts so far have been marked by disputes and jockeying for power.

Another U.S. goal was to broaden its contacts within the Iraqi opposition community beyond the Iraqi National Congress -- an umbrella organization of Iraqi opposition groups -- that until now has received the lion's share of U.S. funding allocated for the Iraqi opposition.

The talks also demonstrate cooperation between the State Department and Pentagon in support of the Iraqi opposition. There has been some degree of infighting between the two agencies on how far the administration should go in supporting the opposition. Officials from the National Security Council and CIA were also present during Friday's meeting.