While the US administration is openly seeking Iran’s support to sort out the bloody mess in Iraq, it also keeps throwing mysterious spanners that may yet again stall the delicate diplomatic moves that are afoot to make any progress.
Nasser Karimi of the Associated Press writes: “The U.S. and Iran said Sunday they will hold upcoming talks in Baghdad about improving Iraq’s security — a historic political turnabout for the two countries with the most influence over Iraq’s future.
“Expectations of progress remain low, however, with tough issues at stake and mutual suspicions running high. Even as it announced the talks, Iran lashed out at Vice President Dick Cheney’s weekend warnings about its nuclear program, saying it would retaliate if the U.S. attacked it.
“Yet the two sides said they were setting aside such differences to focus on a narrow issue — Iraq’s continued violence and sharp political deterioration.
” ‘The purpose is to try to make sure that the Iranians play a productive role in Iraq,’ said Gordon Johndroe, the White House’s National Security Council spokesman.
“There had been speculation of a Cabinet-level meeting at that Egypt conference, but neither Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice nor Iran’s foreign minister wanted to make the initial move, passing up what would have been the first high-level, face-to-face talks since the U.S. broke off relations with Tehran after the 1979 hostage crisis.
“Until this spring, the Bush administration had dismissed calls for both outreach to Iran and Syria. At the Egyptian conference, Rice did sit down for a talk with Syria’s top diplomat…”
Funny…Why a few days ago at Sharm El-Sheik in Egypt Iran’s foreign minister boycotted a dinner of diplomats where he was to be seated directly across from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The rumour mill has it that this happened because a female violinist entertaining the gathering was “dressed too revealingly.”
Shows that American diplomats are either missing out on a great opportunity to engage Iran at this delicate stage, or are just being flippant.
According to another report: “ ‘I don’t know which woman he was afraid of, the woman in the red dress or the secretary of state,†State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Friday.”
“Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki met earlier at a lunch Thursday but exchanged only pleasantries. Neither appeared ready to make the first move for a real meeting.
“ ‘You can ask him why he didn’t make an effort,’ Rice told reporters Friday. ‘I’m not given to chasing anyone’.”
How silly can one be!!! Are American foreign affairs being conducted by such people who do not even know the basic nuances of diplomacy. Are sartorial preferences of an inconsequential violinist going to govern the US-Iran talks/relationship so crucial now to sort out the Iraqi mess?
Meanwhile the MSNBC reports: “Condoleezza Rice, the Âsecretary of state, calls her Iran strategy ‘rebalancing’ – a concerted and comprehensive effort to push back against Tehran’s advances in the region and in its nuclear programme.”
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Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.