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Heard Around Town: Hagel, Russia, and the Middle East Peace Summit
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A source has told me that Senator Chuck Hagel had a recent meeting with Russian Federation Ambassador to the U.S. Yuri Ushakov who confessed that the Russians are frustrated and nearly furious with the Bush administration over the lack of coordination and preparation before the upcoming November Middle East Peace Summit scheduled to take place in Annapolis.
Ambassador Ushakov allegedly told Hagel that he's never seen anything like this. He said there are normally side agreements orchestrated, diplomatic understandings, and significant coordination efforts. Most Middle East summits attempted before involved enormous heavy-lifting before the meeting. However, according to a significant source, absolutely nothing of import is happening between White House officials and key stakeholder governments in the region -- including Russia which is one of the Middle East Quartet members.
This is interesting because the State Department is packed with pros -- particularly people like Assistant Secretary of State David Welch. They must know that there is little if any nemawashi -- or "planting the roots" as Japanese would say -- going on.
-- Steve Clemons
» Next Article - Syria's Place at the Table
Reader Comments (4) - post a comment
This Mid East summit is nothing.
I have been reading both the Arab and Israeli papers...a lot of statements in Israel are the same old, same old bullshit..."you (Palestine and everyone else) MUST capitulate to us on every thing first or we won't talk seriously.
Which according to the Arabs is why they are frustrated and don't take it seriously and think nothing will come of it becuase Israel is still playing the our way or highway game.
It's the same old stall. I am so sick of these little chest beating Israeli monkeys the whole place can be dumped into the sea as far as I am concerned.
Like I posted before, Condi has the world's best job. She gets paid to travel around and hobnob with the world's rich and powerful without ever having to actually do anything. If only there were jobs like that for people of my political persuasion...
Obviously, none want a peace agreement or some settlement of the Israel-Palestine issue. They want war and the NeoNutizis here and in Israel need it to stay in power. The "summit" is just window dressing to show they "tried" diplomacy.
When Busholini took office in 2001, I called his Middle East peace efforts the "Look Ma, no hands" approach.
As I said..same old, same old..crapola. When you get down to the truth Israel is nothing but a real estate terrorist. If this was any other country the US neo hot shots would have them on their terrier list and have bombed them into oblivion. It's too bad Israel's promised land wasn't in some US state, their land stealing would have gotten them wiped out in short order.
"US Silent on Israel's Land Grab"
WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States refused to immediately comment Wednesday on Israel's decision to confiscate Arab land near Jerusalem, one day before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was to head to the region.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters that Washington had not yet determined what its official reaction would be.
"(I'm) still looking into it," he said. "I want to understand better the facts on the ground from our people in the field."
"As soon as I have those, I'll be happy to provide you with a reaction."
Israel on Tuesday ordered the confiscation of Arab land outside east Jerusalem, officials said, reviving fears that the occupied West Bank could be split in two and challenging peace overtures.
The appropriation orders came as Israelis and Palestinians prepare for a major US-sponsored international peace summit widely expected in Maryland next month, and were immediately criticized by Arab authorities.
Washington's silence contrasts with the reaction by France, Egypt and Jordan, all of which have denounced the land grab.
Rice was due to depart Washington Thursday for Moscow and the Middle East, hoping to lay the groundwork for the peace meeting.
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