Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Talks on Iraq open in Damascus
The aforementioned talks on Iraq have begun. Everybody and his brother are participating, except key regional power Saudi Arabia:
A U.S. delegation, headed by Washington's top diplomat in Syria, Charge d'Affaires Michael Corbin, attended the two-day meeting, as well as representatives of Iraq's other neighbors, including Iran, the Arab League, Bahrain and Egypt and U.N. Security Council permanent members.
But Saudi Arabia's decision not to participate cast doubt on how effective the meeting would be. Its absence was likely due to its bad relations with the Syrian government. Saudi officials would not comment, but the kingdom and Damascus have been deeply divided over Syria's ties to Iran and the Shiite Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon.
I am but a casual observer, but it strikes me as implausible that the Saudis are staying away from such important talks simply because of their poor relations with the thugs in Damascus. It seems to me more likely that they are holding back so that they are not pressured to agree to American concessions to Iran on the spot. Of course, Iran and Syria will know that American security guarantees will not mean so much if the Saudis do not also agree to stop support for the Sunni Iraqis, so they will be reluctant to make concessions against promises the United States cannot keep without the Saudis.
These are going to be tough negotiations. Expect these talks to be "frank," the diplomatic euphamism for "rancorous."
5 Comments:
By 
antithaca, at
Wed Aug 08, 09:44:00 PM:
Have you been listening to Dennis Miller? He's the only person I know that says "aforementioned" on anything like a regular basis (we've been staining the house and listening to him in the AM).
I wouldn't be at all surprised if the talks ended up being described as "terse".
By 
, at
Thu Aug 09, 04:12:00 PM:
Saudi is not there because saud is pissed with Dubya for supporting Abbas, (or is it abyss), and moving against Hamas.
Hamas, CAIR, Muslim Brotherhood, Saud, in fact all the freakin lot are umbilically linked.
The FBI knows it, so WTF are they doing about it.
Nothing while ever Dubya loves Saud
like a brother Or is it LOVER?
Oh My
Oh Really
careful, don't let them hear
Seriously folks, the problem is easily seen!!!!!!!!
By , at
Thu Aug 09, 04:24:00 PM:
Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
In 'thought for today' I wish to comment on our holy scripture, specifically those references to Mohammed's (pbuh) laundry arrangements as related at http://news.speeple.com/blogspot.com/2007/06/22/islam-and-the-gay-muslim.htm
Mohammed's child wife Aiesha said : "I used to wash the traces of Janaba (semen) from the clothes of the Prophet and he used to go for prayers while traces of water were still on it" (water spots were still visible). (Book #4, Hadith #229)
Narrated Sulaiman bin Yasar : I asked Aisha about the clothes soiled with semen. She replied, "I used to wash it off the clothes of Allah's Apostle and he would go for the prayer while water spots were still visible. " (Book #4, Hadith #231)
Narrated 'Amr bin Maimun : I heard Sulaiman bin Yasar talking about the clothes soiled with semen. He said that Aiesha had said, "I used to wash it off the clothes of Allah 's Apostle and he would go for the prayers while water spots were still visible on them. (Book #4, Hadith #232)
Narrated Aiesha : I used to wash the semen off the clothes of the Prophet and even then I used to notice one or more spots on them. (Book #4, Hadith #233)
Muslims may be perplexed by these passages in the scriptures, and may well ask "If Aisha was Mohammed's wife, why was she washing the semen out of Mohammed's clothes instead of out of her own panties?"
The explanation is that Aisha was only 7 or 8 years old at the time she was doing the laundry.
Although he married her when she was six and he was 57 (everyone said they made a lovely couple!), the prophet Mohammed was a great respecter of the innocence of childhood, and did not demand his conjugal rights until Aisha was nine.
Instead, he played the Islamic babysitting game of 'Mufa khathat' by tickling her thighs with his trouser-minaret, and of course when he got to the vinegar-strokes he shot off all over the place.
On her ninth birthday the marriage was consumated. Mohammed gave her a birthday cake with 8 candles, promising her she'd get the ninth at bedtime.
The lesson is that we Muslims are honorable gentlemen and should try to emulate our prophet and refrain from 'going all the way' with children under nine years old.
I was meditating on these scriptures one day last week, when something most distressing happened to me. Those of you who know me will be aware that it is my custom to put on my traditional Islamic garment, known as a Mah-kint-osh, and go down to the nearby primary school at hometime to inspect the Kuffar tarts and some of the prettier boys.
But on that particular day I found out that the Kuffar parents had complained to the institutionally Islamophobic police. I was grievously abused by an officer who called me a 'dirty old pervert'. This caused me great distress. I have never been so insulted since that time I was thrown out of the petting zoo.
Needless to say I made an immediate complaint to the authorities and pointed out that I was performing an Islamic ritual in following the glorious example of our noble Prophet (pbuh). In calling me a 'pervert' the officer had not only offended myself, but insulted the Prophet, the religion of Islam, and the entire Ummah. The situation was swiftly resolved and I obtained his immediate dismissal and £600,000 as an out of court settlement. Allah is indeed great.
Well I must go now as I need to pay my nightly visit to the cowshed, where Daisy and Buttercup are expecting me to make it a threesome.
- Ayatollah Khomeini
By Dawnfire82, at
Thu Aug 09, 05:41:00 PM:
If only one member of a pair is present, a wedge cannot be actively driven between them. While Saudi may have poor relations with Syria (and is a historic and strategic rival of Syria's buddy, Iran), that may just be a convenient excuse. Saudi has worked with Iran before on regional issues.
By Dawnfire82, at
Fri Aug 10, 08:01:00 AM:
I meant to say, 'worked with Syria before on regional issues.'
