Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Europe is waiting to see how Obama plays Iran

"..Wary of challenging Obama's current reservoir of international prestige and support, the European leadership's concerns on Iran are only half-articulated...
But they go to fears of being cut out of the process in the direct U.S.-Iran talks Obama has promised and losing a means to bring pressure against eventual military action...
And how influential are U.S. experts who argue he should run around Russia's chokehold on the UN Security Council's initiatives and sanctions by starting head-on, "all options on the table" negotiations with the mullahs?...
As much as he feels "there's really nothing much to expect from the Russians," Tertrais also considers "the reasonableness and experience of the people around Obama" would result in a formula to keep the European allies in a new negotiating equation....
All the same, he said, one day soon an official will enter the Oval Office to tell Obama, "Mr. President, Iran must now be considered a virtual nuclear power."
Israeli fighter pilots talking to foreign reporters on a visit to a desert air base last week maintained ambiguity when asked if they were training for a strike on Iran. (Gil Cohen Magen/Reuters)

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