Middle East movement
We have been visibly reminded of the tragedy of conflict in the Middle East by the sight of two coffins crossing the border from Lebanon to Israel. Last summer I visited the exact place where the two soldiers were captured on the border itself.
Yet there is suddenly some movement, which is positive. Lebanon has a government which appears to embrace most important factions, Syria and Lebanon may well actually exchange ambassadors, and Israel and Syria have been in a low-key dialogue. President Sarkozy at least in public relations terms, stole the show with the parade of leaders in Paris last week, from every Mediterranean country. And where is Britain in all of this activity, we are entitled to ask?
However it is the US sending a senior official to Tehran that is most interesting of all. Hithertofore the Americans refused to talk directly to Iran unless they abandoned nuclear enrichment and support for terrorist organisations. No Iranian government could or would accept such pre-conditions.
As finally happened with North Korea, a direct dialogue became necessary, and was successful. So we shall watch this space. Equally the Americans are no longer preventing the Israelis from having a dialogue with Syria.
In the end, the United States is crucial in all of this, and clearly a more functional approach has replaced axis of evil condemnation. As we observed those Iranian missiles being fired, and the Israelis reaction, a fresh attempt to re-order the region’s jigsaw puzzle is to be welcomed greatly.