‘Barack Obama has begun discreet talks with Iran and Syria’

[Leo The Cleo]

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\02\02\story_2-2-2009_pg4_1

US President Barack Obama has already used experts within the last few months to hold high-level but discreet talks with both Iran and Syria, organisers of the meetings told AFP.

Officially, Obama’s overtures toward both Tehran and Damascus have remained limited. In an interview broadcast on Monday, Obama said the United States would offer arch-foe Iran an extended hand of diplomacy if the Islamic Republic’s leaders “unclenched their fist”. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the Israeli-Syrian track of the Middle East peace negotiations took a back seat to the Israeli-Palestinian track, especially because of the recent war in Gaza. However, even before winning the November 4 election, Obama unofficially used what experts call “track two” discussions to approach America’s two foes in the region.

High-level contacts: Nuclear non-proliferation experts had several “very, very high-level” contacts in the last few months with Iranian leaders, said Jeffrey Boutwell, executive director for the US branch of the Pugwash group, an international organisation of scientists which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995.

Former defense secretary William Perry, who served in Obama’s election campaign, participated in some of these meetings focused on “a wide range of issues that separate Iran from the West: not only their nuclear programme but the Middle East peace process, Persian Gulf issues,” Boutwell told AFP. The Pugwash official declined to name the other participants, except to say they had considerable clout.

cont . . .

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\02\02\story_2-2-2009_pg4_1

[agentS]

1. Any talks is better than 0 talks

Even if we don't get anywhere with the Iranian mullahs, it's better globally than if we didn't try at all and demonized them like we did for 8 years of BUUUSSSHHH!

[laugle]

2. Well there's no time to waste, since Iran will possibly have

a few nukes in a year.........and then he will have no choice but to use PLAN B, but we won't talk about that now.............

Ahmadinejad, has already been trowing dirt in his face.......so much for civil overatures..........