Some Hopeful Signs
It is only a beginning, and not a particularly strong one at that. Nonetheless it is the most open public support that the US has received to date from Middle Eastern Arab states. A somewhat vaguely worded resolution has been issued by eight governments working in concert with the US to condemn Iran's meddling in Iraq.
The statement was written in diplomatic jargon and did not mention Iran by name or even cite concerns about Iran's nuclear program. It warned against "destabilization" of the Persian Gulf, expressed support for the "principle of noninterference" and said it did not want Iraq to become "a battleground for regional and international powers," code for Iran and the United States.
The statement welcomed Bush's speech as expressing "a commitment by the United States" to saving Iraq, but made no mention of Bush's proposed troop buildup.
"Nine foreign ministers are meeting in Kuwait precisely to prevent Iraq from slipping into civil war," said Kuwait's foreign minister, Mohammed al-Sabah, at a news conference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The statement was also joined by five other Gulf Arab states — Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates — and Egypt and Jordan.
The meeting came as the United States deployed a second aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf region for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Rice is touring the Middle East to win support for Bush's plan and bolster what she calls a "mainstream" alliance of Arab states opposed to violent extremists such as Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas.
I have been saying for quite some time that the regional nations had better start standing up to Iran's aggression or they risk being absorbed into a new Persian Empire. While the statement was pretty weak, some of the governments involved made much stronger statements after the meeting. So there is some movement on that front. Iran is exporting terror. If they succeed in their proxy war – and that is precisely what it is – only a fool would think they would stop at Iraq's borders. The appetites of tyrants are not easily sated.
War, World news | Gaius January 17, 2007
