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ASIA TIMES


March 4, 2010


[Re US's top brass target Israel, March 1] The authors must be commended for bringing to a wider audience the comments about Iran by Emily Landau of The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv published in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. In her article, she dismissed sanctions even though the Israeli prime minister and the US secretary of state have fixated on it, and wrote, "the primary problem - the absence of an American strategy for tough negotiations". Israelis are wise. They know bluster, the continuous threat of sanctions and force will make some feel good, but achieve nothing. Negotiations are the only way forward. Unfortunately, Landau got it partially right. Before there can be "tough negotiations" there must engagement. As long as the Likudist friends of Israel in the US stand in the way of that engagement by their frivolous undertakings in the Congress and elsewhere, the Obama administration's efforts to engage will continue to
face sabotage. Common sense dictates that there must be engagement with Iran. Without it, those who advocate conflict on both sides might get their wish with devastating consequences for the world.
Fariborz S Fatemi
Former professional staff member
House Foreign Affairs Committee
Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Virginia (Mar 4, '10