A Drop of Water in the US-Iran Diplomatic Freeze

It seem's like maybe a DROP of water fell off the big ice block that is U.S.-Diplomatic relations. US and Iranian diplomatic enjoys spoke to each other directly, one-on-one, (if I'm not mistaken, the VERY frist time this has happened since the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979) even though the talks were confined to Iraq's security, which U.S. officials say Iran is playing a huge role in supplying weapons to Iraqi Insurgents. This one on one session is a potentional HUGE breakthrough in US-Iranian relations (although, if you put it in the context of history, Japan was talking "peace" with us, even giving us a medal from their country, all the while planning, and finally executing the attack on Pearl Harbor, but, that is diplomacy for you) This conference happened in Baghgdad and gathered all the regional powers, and the US of course, and the conference's theme was "How to End Iraq's Violence." Here is a dencently lenghtly quote from the AP article:

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, said he exchanged viewswith Iranian delegates "directly and in the presence of others" at thegathering led by Iraq's neighbors and the five permanent members of theU.N. Security Council.

He declined to give details of the contacts - calling them only"constructive and businesslike and problem-solving" - but noted that heraised U.S. assertions that Shiite militias receive weapons andassistance across the border from Iran.

Thechief Iranian envoy, Abbas Araghchi, said he restated his country'sdemands for a clear timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces,which he insisted have made Iraq a magnet for extremists from acrossthe Muslim world.

"Violence in Iraq is good for no country in the region," said Araghchi,deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, at apost-meeting news conference.

Araghchi said he did not meet privately with Khalilzad, but that alld ialogue "was within the framework of the meeting" - which he said had"very good interaction by all the delegations."

Even our Ambassador is quoted as agreeing that this is the first step in unfreezing relations (however, if you intend to get that Ice really melting, your going to have to bring how a big fire (and NO, I don't mean a bomb) and really start using the State Department for what it is for: diplomacy betweeen the US and ALL (Reminder to Secretary of State Rice as well as all those others that work there under her: ALL means talking to your enemies as well, infact, talking to your enemies, in my opinion, is more important than talking to old, rock solid allies).

Here is one more quote that the AP through in to give us ALL some hope (and when I say ALL, I mean everyone without the mentality of Ann Coulter "Let's invade their countires, kill their leader's and convert them to Christianity," you know, the normal people not a member of the American Enterprise Institute): "The discussions were limited and focused on Iraq and I don't want to speculate after that" Ambassador Khalilzad said."

technorati tags:Iran, US, Relations, Unfreezing, Iraq, Baghdad, Tehran, Khalilzad

Blogged with Flock