Sharm el Sheikh didn't shake anything up

The Sharm el Sheikh conference on Iraq is over, not much news other than the violinist in a red dress. But was anything really accomplished? There was a communique issued at the end of the conference, attendees gave press conferences, had pictures taken, and issued statements. On timetables:

At a joint news conference with his Egyptian counterpart Ahmad Abu-al-Ghayt, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said that the final communique did not touch on the setting of timetables for the withdrawal of foreign troops from Iraq. He noted that such a thing is contingent upon an agreement between the Iraqi Government and the Security Council. Nonetheless, Abu-al-Ghayt affirmed that the conference decided to look into the issue of the withdrawal of foreign troops when armed forces based on national considerations are built. (Informed Comment)

That must be a surprise to the Democrats. It sounds very much like the President George W. Bush plan.

Al-Sharqiyah TV:

--"The work of the ministerial conference on Iraq, which brought together Iraq's neighboring countries, Egypt, Bahrain, the UN secretary general, and representatives of the five permanent members of the Security Council and the big industrialized nations, in addition to representatives of several international organizations, has been concluded in Sharm al-Shaykh. The conference issued a final communique backing the steps taken by the Iraqi Government and the Council of Representatives to achieve national reconciliation and bring the views of the various segments of the Iraqi people closer. Besides, the communique called for helping the Iraqi Government build the Armed Forces and police services on national basis, away from sectarian or ethnic affiliations. It also called for helping the Iraqi Government put an end to internal fighting and what the communique called terrorist operations.

The following excerpt is from "Iraq Regional Conference a Flop -- The Sham at Sheikh," by Rannie Amiri at Counter Punch. I don't agree with a lot in this article, but there is some truth to it:

The recently concluded Iraq regional conference held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt started with high expectations: reconciliation between Iraq and her neighbors, debt relief, and the first high level contact between the US Secretary of State and her Syrian and Iranian counterparts.

On all these fronts, it flopped. [snip]

Although reportedly offended by a sleeveless violinist which precluded him from meeting her at dinner, few in the media recognized Mottaki's excuse for what it was: a well-deserved snub of Rice. (read it all)

Was it just an excuse to get away from Condi Rice? We may never know, but I doubt much diplomacy would have gone on during the performance, with other attendees sitting so near. I figure we've got until the end of 2007 before there's going to be a real shake up in Washington on the Iraq war. John Boehner gives it until Sepetember:

Most congressional Republicans support President Bush's latest security strategy in Iraq but will be looking for a "Plan B" come September if progress there isn't apparent, said House Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio), House Minority Leader. (The Swamp)

Transcript House Minority Leader John Boehner of 'FNS'

Nothing gained, but nothing lost in Sharm el Sheikh.

See House Minority Leader John Boehner Warns of Need for "Plan B", at Stormwarning's Counterterrorism Blog

Comments

[Angel]

Youre right Debbie..but always having to make some kind of public stunt!
Have a super day! :)