THAW: IRAN AND THE HARMFUL IDIOTS HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATING.

first rough draft

Publicly the harmful idiots continue to dispatch threats, warnings, and ultimata. But events on the ground speak differently. They point to a thawing of relations between the United States and Iran. For one, the harmful idiots' ambassador-in-chief, King Abdallah of Jordan, has just met with the Syrian Foreign Minister and plans seem to be afoot for the re-inclusion of Syria among the Arabs.

But more is happening. Here's Ali al-Haj Yousef in as-Safir of 10/12/07, (online) reporting from Tehran:

" The sources which are close to the centers of decision in Iran ease up somewhat on secrecy. [They] talk about continued negotiations between the two parties, the American and the Iranian, other than the rounds [of negotations] about Iraq. [These sources] point to Algeria as a place where these contacts [between the harmful idiots and the Iranians] had begun. [These sources] add that the meetings [between Iranian and US representatives] are still taking place in many places, sometimes in a direct fashion and other times in an indirect fashion, through mediators. [These sources] speak about [upcoming] direct and open negotiations [between the harmful idiots and the Iranians] [to take place] after the holidays. [These sources] conclude: be repared for surprises."


Earlier in the same article, however, the Iranians seem to issue an ultimatum:

"[...] Iranian sources reveal that the quiet or near-quiet in Iraq should be in evidence until the end of this year, the grace period which the Iranians have specified [for them to witness] progress in other areas/paths, especially the nuclear file."

(My translation from Arabic.)

The ultimatum outlined above is followed by a paragraph which seems to lessen its severity--but remains somewhat unclear. It seems to define better relations between Iran and the American protectorates of the Gulf (the GCC countries) as one area where progress would result in continued quiet in Iraq. The sources told the as-Safir reporter that "something very important" had taken place between Iran and the GCC countries and that this "very important thing" should become pubic in the coming few days.