Rice, Gates push for Mideast assistance ("rare ...diplomacy")

[rodeodance]

Source: ap



Rice, Gates push for Mideast assistance

By ANNE GEARAN and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writers 1 hour, 4 minutes ago

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - The Bush administration is hoping that a rare one-two punch of U.S. diplomacy — Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates — will add force to talks with Iraq's neighbors about the war and Iran's influence in the Mideast.


Rice and Gates traveled to this Red Sea resort to meet Tuesday with Arab leaders as part of an 11th-hour effort to get their assistance in helping Iraq's fledgling government survive sectarian strife and political infighting. At the same time, the U.S. officials want Saudi Arabia and its neighbors to use financial pressure on Iran as a way of discouraging its nuclear ambitions.

For their part, Arab countries may be worried that escalating opposition in the U.S. to the war in Iraq may signal a declining commitment to security in the region.

Hours before Rice and Gates embarked on their diplomatic mission, the Bush administration announced Monday a proposed U.S. arms package to Arab nations worth more than $20 billion. The sophisticated weaponry, according to U.S. officials, would strengthen relatively moderate Persian Gulf regimes against extremist regimes and ideologies, chief among them Iran..........

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070731/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_mideast;_ylt=AlvH1N2W0C7C7gxQUjA3C9is0NUE

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As Bill Clinton said--the spat between the candidates is really about the bigger issue of how the US needs to engage in more diplomacy.

[Indylaw10]

1. arms=diplomacy?

I'm not sure about the wisdom of bringing $ 20 billion dollars worth of weopons ( " arms package") into the Arab world. Is this what Americans call " diplomacy"? Or is this how GW's friends make their money.....