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America's new path on Iraq: talk to Iran
In a shift, the US plans to talk to Iraq's neighbors, including Iran and Syria, about the region. What do key players hope to get?
By Dan Murphy | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitorfrom the March 1, 2007 edition
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BOSTON - The United States has agreed to do what it once insisted it wouldn't do: Talk directly to Iran about Iraq, without preconditions.
After an initial meeting in two weeks, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice plans to sit down in April with the foreign ministers of some 20 countries, including two that the US considers key troublemakers in the region: Iran and Syria.
Though the meeting will be confined to the goal of stabilizing Iraq – not the dispute over Iran's nuclear program – the Bush administration's decision to participate indicates that the days of working from an "our-way-or-the-highway" stance may be over.
Still, the sprawling nature of the regional talks means that understanding what key players want will be crucial to meaningful progress. The key players and their likely goals:
United States
In recent months, US officials have tried to convince the world that Iran is providing explosives and training to militias in Iraq that are attacking US forces. The US also alleges that Syria is failing to prevent Sunni Arab jihadis from crossing its border into Iraq. But most analysts are skeptical that either country plays a crucial role in Iraq's ongoing civil war.
The two countries have also roundly denied the charges, which could set the stage for explosive exchanges across the negotiating table.
Holding the conference reflects an effort to build the Iraqi government's legitimacy in the region. "This initiative is about normalizing the new Iraqi government's relations with the rest of the world," says Patrick Clawson, deputy director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. "It's part of a process of the government taking on more authority, and part of that is developing better relations with its neighbors."
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