Word: saudi
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...Arab member of the proposed moderate united front is not following the Administration's lead: Not only is Saudi Arabia talking to Iran (where Washington calls for Tehran to be isolated); it is actively cooperating with Iran in shaping a political agreement to avert a civil war in Lebanon. Similarly, while the U.S. is demanding that Hamas be isolated and is pressuring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to refrain from forming a unity government with the organization, Saudi Arabia is actively engaging with Hamas and promoting the formation of just such a unity government at talks currently underway in Mecca. Moreover...
...anything, the chorus coming from Iraq and some of the key elements of the purported anti-Iran alliance is urging the U.S. to do what the Bush Administration has steadfastly refused to do - begin talking with Iran. The Saudi cooperation with Iran over Lebanon and its engagement with Hamas in the Palestinian territories reflects the reality that Iranian influence in Iraq and in the wider region - and Hamas's centrality in Palestinian politics - are inescapable facts. And some facts can't be altered to fit a new U.S. theory of how it would like the Middle East to work...
Hoping to end the fratricidal killing on the streets of Gaza, Saudi Arabia has invited leaders of the two main Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, to Islam's holiest city for talks aimed at creating a unity government. Such a government would not only end the chaotic fighting, but would also be aimed at ending the Western economic siege of the Palestinian territories. But as if the hostility on the streets of Gaza was not enough to cloud the prospects for success of Tuesday's talks in Mecca, outside pressures on the summit have begun to mount...
...Hamas has refused calls by Fatah and the international community to recognize Israel's right to exist. Going into the Mecca meeting, Hamas appeared to be showing flexibility. "We have no choice but to reach an agreement," Haniyeh said, without specifying if his militants would accept Israel's existence. Saudi backing for a Palestinian "unity" government, especially one that is ready to deal with Israel, would help sell the accord to other Arab countries, notably Egypt and Jordan...
...Rival Palestinian leaders know that the Mecca meeting may be the last chance for a lasting truce. In Gaza, armed gunmen from both militias have already carved up the city with roadblocks and sniper positions in anticipation of an all-out war if the Saudi peace initiative fails...