The Bush Administration late to the table once again...



BAGHDAD - The United States and Iran began talks on Monday, resuming public diplomacy for the first time in nearly three decades. The meeting between ambassadors on security in Iraq could produce a chapter in world history for its success or a footnote for its failure.

U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker represented Washington. Iranian Ambassador Hassan Kazemi Qomi spoke for Iran at the talks, which were held at Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s office in the Green Zone compound in Baghdad.

Just before 10:30 a.m., al-Maliki greeted the two ambassadors, who shook hands, and led them into a conference room, where the ambassadors sat across the table from each other. Al-Maliki then made a brief statement and left the room. Iraq was being represented at the talks by National Security Adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie.
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Monday’s talks were to have a pinpoint focus: What Washington and Tehran — separately or together — could do to contain the sectarian conflagration in Iraq.

Out of Iraq, period
Washington wants Tehran to stop arming, financing and training militants, particularly Shiite militias that are fighting American and Iraqi troops. Tehran wants Washington out of Iraq, period.

But much more encumbers the narrow agenda, primarily Iran’s nuclear program and more than a quarter-century of diplomatic estrangement after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran.

Further, the Iranian Shiite theocracy fears the Bush administration harbors plans for regime change in Tehran and could act on those desires as it did against Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

Washington and its Sunni Arab allies, on their side, are deeply unnerved by growing Iranian influence in the Middle East and the spread of increasingly radical Islam.

Compounding all that is Iran’s open hostility to Israel.

Those issues, combined, are what make this opening of the U.S.-Iranian minuet both so important and so interesting.

Will this first meeting, as the Iraqis openly hope and as the Iranians and Americans may quietly aspire, be sufficiently cordial and productive that a second meeting becomes possible? Should that happen, will a future dialogue involve higher-level officials — perhaps Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki?

On Saturday, Crocker was circumspect when asked about prospects for further meetings.

“It’s going to start with one meeting and see how it goes,” Crocker said. “We’re coming prepared to talk about Iraq.”

Associated Press

This President and his administration and their cronies spent wasted hours, airtime and paper to try and convince anyone who was listening how crazy the Hamilton Report was and how you can't talk to Iran and yet here we are only a few months later. Anyone still convince that this guy knows what he is doing, please continue to dream on.

Posted by 4949:

I never thought for a minute that he knew what he was doing. I never saw so many scandals and mistakes made in an administration before, nor have I ever heard of such of an administration before, ever! Just about one right after another. It pains my ears to hear him talk. sounds like the same old dope as when he and they took over from day one. I think people fall for the dope. He almost puts you in into a trance. I'm more worried about people who put then there in the first place.

Maybe we should blame the Jerry Springer's and the Ophras of the world for dumming down society. Look at all of these survival shows and these real life shows they been having. It's like people don't know how to think anymore. They let others think for them.






[Edited by - 4949 on 05-28-2007 5:25 PM]

Here we go - looks like "they" succeed of making this country 3rd Rome. A bunch of brain washed "free" people looking at the "Gladiators" and a lot of slaves (illegal emigrants) working for them.
The world is never changed much for 2000 years.
And we all know how the Rom Empire ended in wildness and destruction.
Are we due?






[Edited by - arkrud on 05-29-2007 12:10 PM]