By NNN-WAM
Dubai : The United States now wants to “engage” Iran, if the Islamic republic decides to stop its uranium enrichment programme, a UAE paper commented on Monday noting that it has already been “engaging” Syria, albeit through France, Jordan and other regional players, with regard to the Lebanese presidential elections, the security situation in Iraq and supporting the Palestinian National Authority.
”Shortly after George W. Bush came to the White House, in 2001, Washington decided to isolate Iran and, soon after the invasion of Iraq, Syria was added to the list of the “must be shunned states”, wrote the Gulf News in its Monday’s editorial.
The Dubai-based paper said :”Years later, the Bush administration decided the whole exercise was futile and some sort of “diplomatic offensive” was needed to salvage whatever possible before Bush leaves the White House in a little over one year.
”Therefore, in trying to do what Bush has said he will do in the last 12 months of his presidency – the establishment of a Palestinian state and stabilising Iraq, Washington saw the need to perhaps ease regional tensions and speak directly to all parties concerned.
”Sounds familiar? It does, as it is exactly what the American bi-partisan Iraq Study Group, led by former US Secretary of State James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton suggested in their famed report last year.
Taking Iraq into account is now America’s top priority, it says, “Iraq cannot be addressed effectively in isolation from other major regional issues, interests, and unresolved conflicts.
”To put it simply, all key issues in the Middle East – the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq, Iran, the need for political and economic reforms, and extremism and terrorism – are inextricably linked.” ”Analysts had suggested Bush, who had dismissed the report when it was published, is coming back to it to save his legacy, so far marred by Iraq and the war on terror. It may be too late – but then, who knows?”.