Thursday, May 03, 2007

One thing is for sure .... no hand shaking!

There is a good bit of buzz generated over the upcoming fest at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in which the Iraq's neighbors , UNSC P5 and EU will get together to discuss ways to make Iraq "secure" and allow for a face-saving, if not graceful, way for the US and UK to get out from the colossal mess. The mullahs agreed in the last minutes, or was it hours, to come to the meeting, so the buzz: will Dr. Rice, the American Secretary of State, get to meet his mullahs' counterpart, Manoucher Mottakhi. From the Iraq Summit, we're now to US-Iran Summit to decide on Iraq!

Dr. Rice
thinks she "can handle any question that is asked of me,". "If we encounter each other and wander to other subjects I am prepared to address them at least in terms of American policy." (BBC News, May 3, 2007)

The mullahs president is quoted as saying, he welcomes an
"honest dialogue" with the US. That must be a first!

Among the things that it is not clear, is whether Dr. Rice is "prepared" to offer her hand in a handshake to Mottakhi, when the two meet. The mullahs' mouth would likely not want to "najes" himself in shaking a woman's hand.