MANCHESTER – Republican presidential candidates Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney yesterday agreed to participate in the WMUR/ABC/Facebook presidential debates just three days before the primary Jan. 8.

They join fellow Republicans John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul, Duncan Hunter and Fred Thompson in officially agreeing to the debates scheduled for Jan. 5 at St. Anselm College. The forums begin at 7 p.m.

Bartlett said all the major Democratic and Republican candidates’ campaigns have been involved in discussions about the debates.

Democratic presidential candidates who have committed to the debates include Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, Chris Dodd, Joseph Biden and Dennis Kucinich, according to WMUR news director Andrew Vrees.

Giuliani also agreed yesterday to participate in a presidential debate on the Fox network on Jan. 6, although no debate is currently scheduled. Fox News, with the state Republican Party, had scheduled a Republican debate for that date, but withdrew the proposal when candidates did not commit to the event.

State Republican Party chair Fergus Cullen said the party has been discussing a presidential forum for several months with Fox News for Jan. 6 and has been in touch with all the campaigns about it. "We’ve gotten a favorable response, but that is short of a commitment," he said yesterday.

He said he has noted all along he does not expect the presidential candidates to make a firm commitment to participate in any end-of-the-campaign events until much closer to when they are held.

The state Republican Party has scheduled a presidential forum for 11 a.m. Jan. 6 at the Function Center at Hampshire Hills in Milford. The party’s presidential candidates have been invited to participate in the forum.