Payvand.com - First there were the fireworks (war games and missile works). Now U.S. and Iran are preparing to sit at the nuclear negotiations table in Geneva this weekend. There is also a lot of excitement building up that within a month U.S. will announce opening of a diplomatic outpost in Tehran, after 30 years of absence. On top of that the two sides have been engaged in a lot of signaling and winking in the last few weeks.

Lots of commentary and advice are being offered to both U.S. and Iran. Many people want to see the consummation of this marriage (made in heaven?). And then there are others who are fighting back hard to break-up this couple once again!  Who will succeed is the big question?
 

A gesture that Iran should not spurn
The world has long known that the US is ready to use sticks in its efforts to stop Iran from nuclear enrichment. But Mr Burns' presence with his counterparts in Geneva shows Washington supports the generous carrots being offered to encourage Tehran to stop the programme. The ball is now very firmly in the Iranian court. The package of international economic support, security guarantees and help with its civilian nuclear programme now on offer is one that Tehran should embrace. - Financial Times

Candidates React to News of Iran Talks
Barack Obama and John McCain have both reacted quickly to the news that the Bush administration has agreed to send a senior envoy -- Undersecretary of State William J. Burns -- to international talks this weekend with Iranian officials on its nuclear program. But they reached very different conclusions about what the administration's new gambit means-
The McCain campaign said it was an example of effective multilateral diplomacy and knocked, again, Obama's idea of directly engaging with Iran - Washington Post

Hopes for peace grow as Iran and US hold first high-level talks ...
Bush has repeatedly ruled out direct talks until Iran suspended its uranium enrichment process. Iran denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb. The White House and the state department denied there had been a turnaround and insisted that it was change in tactics rather than substance. But rightwingers in the US, who have argued for bombing Iranian nuclear plants, accused Bush of appeasement. - Guardian, UK

Iran and U.S. Signaling Chance of Deal
President Bush's decision to shift policy and send a senior U.S. envoy to nuclear talks with Iran this weekend was made after increasing signs that Iran was open to possible negotiations and that international sanctions were having an impact on the Islamic republic, U.S. officials said yesterday. - Washington Post

George Bush U-turn opens way to nuclear talks between US and Iran
Bush has repeatedly ruled out direct talks until Iran suspended its uranium enrichment process. Iran denies it is seeking a nuclear bomb. The White House and the state department denied there had been a turnaround and insisted that it was change in tactics rather than substance. But rightwingers in the US, who have argued for bombing Iranian nuclear plants, accused Bush of appeasement. - Times Online, UK

A test of US flexibility toward Iran
The Bush administration's decision to negotiate with Iran is a symbolic gesture but not necessarily a shift in US policy - Guardian

A troubled history
Any restoration of diplomatic links between the US and Iran would be hugely significant after nearly 30 years of troubled relations. The two countries have been at daggers drawn since the 1979 Islamic revolution, when the shah, long backed by Washington, was overthrown by Ayatollah Khomeini. - Guardian

... Payvand News - 07/17/08 ...

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