More Jr. High School Foreign Policy: Rice exchanges words with Iran's Mottaki

[Sparkly]

The only thing more ridiculous than this weak, passive stance from the US is the media reporting on every little encounter like kids gossiping in the lunch room.

The Iranian entered the lunch, greeting the gathered diplomats with the Arabic phrase, "As-salama aleikum," a Muslim greeting often used by Iran's Farsi speakers meaning "Peace be upon you," according to an Iraqi official who was present.

Rice replied to him in English, "Hello," then added: "Your English is better than my Arabic," according to the Iraqi official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the lunch was private.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit then piped in, telling Mottaki, "We want to warm the atmosphere some."

Mottaki smiled and replied in English with a saying: "In Russia, they eat ice cream in winter because it's warmer than the weather" — more or less meaning, "You take whatever atmosphere-warming you can get."

"That's true," Rice replied, according to the Iraqi official.

After lunch, Egypt's Aboul Gheit told the Associated Press he would try to arrange a further informal meeting between Rice and Mottaki at a gala dinner being thrown by the Egyptians Thursday night on the beach of a nearby resort hotel.

"Why not?" Aboul Gheit said. "It is only one table." But asked if he would seat Rice and Mottaki next to each other, he said, "No, no."

As it turned out, Mottaki's place was set directly across the table from Rice. When Mottaki entered the dinner and saw the arrangement, he immediately told his hosts that he had to excuse himself and leave, said a U.S. official who accompanied Rice.

Mottaki complained that the Egyptian female violinist playing nearby was too revealingly dressed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, also because the dinner was a closed affair.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070504/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_conference

So the representatives of Egypt and Iraq are playing matchmaker, but "Rice said the American side was not asking for a meeting, and the Iranians appeared reluctant to be the ones to make the first move." How cute.

Meanwhile, BushCo has been saying that she "might" meet with the Syrian and/or Iranian foreign minister, so they're "open to talks." Now that they've exchanged words, I guess they can claim she's "talked with Iran and Syria" just like the rest of the world has been urging.

:eyes: I can't believe how pathetic our country's leadership is.

[leftchick]

1. more like pre-school

pathetic indeed