By SALAH NASRAWI, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago
CAIRO, Egypt - Arab leaders were deeply skeptical Wednesday of the U.S. plan for Iraq, a day after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice tried to sell it to them. Kuwait's emir told Rice that America should work with Iran and Syria, officials said — a move President Bush has rejected.
Underscoring the obstacles to U.S. efforts to win over Arab leaders, a U.S. diplomat said the Bush administration plans 1to send Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns on another Mideast shuttle to offer more details of the president's plan.
Snip...
A statement put out by the ministers reflected their distrust of al-Maliki's government. They gave vague support for Bush's plan, welcoming a U.S. commitment to defend "the territorial integrity of Iraq and to ensure a successful, fair and inclusive political process."
But they also said it is the "responsibility of the Iraqi government to achieve these goals."
Snip...
Many in the media depicted Rice's visit as a failure. "The whole jet-setting trip turned out to be yet another stage-managed, futile diplomatic exercise. ... In effect, Rice returns to Washington empty-handed with a lot of false promises rather than optimism," the Doha, Qatar-based Peninsula newspaper wrote in editorial.
more...