Iran, Iraq, Levin and Murtha - Mowaffak al-Rubaie Meets with the Big Guys

The Mullah’s effectively broke the deadlock on negotiations at the conference held earlier this week in Vienna that sought to improve the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

The Mullah’s “felt that wording would allow it to be targeted for defying U.N. Security Council demands for Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that can produce both fuel for electricity-generating nuclear reactors and material for atomic warheads.”

A “South African proposal accepted Tuesday will footnote the phrase to reflect that all aspects of the treaty must be fully observed an allusion to the need for the United States and other nuclear weapons states to disarm.”

With this twist in the language of the treaty the Mullahs broke the stalemate, which is great news as we can all look forward to further Iranian cooperation on the “peaceful nuke” question. Thanks to the Mullah’s permission this will allow the delegations in negotiation of the NPT changes to begin to “lay the ground work for a 2010 conference that is to review and possibly revise the pact to make it more effective in curbing the spread of nuclear arms.”

The truly great news regarding the breakthrough moment is the laying of the groundwork for the 2010 conference, which is forward momentum in discussions about talking and likely time enough to make the Iranian nuclear question moot – Problem solved!!!

Iran continues to look for ways to help the U.S. save face in Iraq. More recently the “Mullahs' Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, has offered the United States Tehran's cooperation in developing a U.S. exit strategy from Iraq.”

Iran, knowing full well that an immediate withdrawal would be disastrous, nonetheless believes “there should be a plan.”

Here in the U.S. the national security adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mowaffak al-Rubaie met with intransigent allies to Iran like Carl Levin and John Murtha.

Not much to report on with regard to the Murtha, but I guess he stuck to his guns or the chicken he was eating stuck to his clothes…not sure what/which; but talks “appeared to lead to no fundamental shift in their positions.”

Said al-Rubaie:

‘“We need to make people understand our perspective — what are the challenges we are facing, what are the difficulties we are facing. We are not lying and doing nothing.”’

In an ungrateful moment al-Rubaie said:

‘“We believe that some people in D.C. are asking the government to do something not in their hand — beyond the capacity of the government. If you ram it down our throats and sync it to Washington because of the election cycle things will crumble.”’

You don’t say? Hmmmm

At one point in appears that Rubaie stressed to Levin that “Iraq was involved in a historic process to overcome the long legacy of authoritarian rule, and that the early withdrawal of American troops would lead to chaos.”

In a let them eat cake moment Levin replied regarding a needed partial troop withdrawal in four months for the sake of putting pressure on the Iraqis:

“Clocks are action-forcing mechanisms,”’ and as Rubaie spoke of the need to ‘“to educate a generation.”’ Levin snorting pompously added, ‘“I told him that is too long.”’

Final thought…action forcing mechanisms sometimes work to the wrong sides advantage; much like laying the groundwork to a meeting for sometime in 2010 for problems today.

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