From Defense Technology News:
December 17, 2008: Yesterday the foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany were joined by those of Egypt, Jordan and the GCC states to discuss next steps on Iran and Gulf security.
The surprise meeting comes at a moment of fluidity and uncertainty on international policy towards Iran. European diplomats are concerned that the stated willingness of Barack Obama to start a direct and unconditional dialogue with Iran could undermine their own UN-based diplomatic efforts to get Iran to first suspend its uranium enrichment activities and then engage in a comprehensive dialogue. And Arab states, who don’t have (and may not even want) a seat at the negotiating table, are worried that a rapprochement between the US and Iran may come at the expense of their own political and strategic interests unless they take a more proactive role.
These concerns were clearly laid out during last week’s IISS Manama Dialogue, a gathering of senior officials involved in Gulf affairs. There, US Defence Secretary Bob Gates walked a fine line: he warned that an Obama administration would not get soft on Iran (a message meant to reassure his Arab listeners) but reiterated a preference for dialogue. Tellingly, the Iranian officials slated to attend failed to show up, a sign that there is no consensus yet in Tehran about how to deal with such overtures.
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My Comment: The clock is ticking .... but we in the west are focused elsewhere.
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