Asia Times reports on China’s Middle East journey via Jerusalem.
Evidently, it is China’s interest to help US and Saudi Arabia maintain stability in the ME which includes preventing Iran from getting the bomb or from making trouble generally.
[..] China’s helpful stance at this juncture will considerably strengthen the US strategy to “contain” Iran. Britain continues to be solidly with Washington. France is far too preoccupied with upcoming presidential elections. Germany under Chancellor Angela Merkel is restoring the traditional flavor of its trans-Atlantic ties. Thus, with China’s “defection”, Washington hopes to isolate Russia within the Security Council by the time the March deadline comes for the reviewing progress on Resolution 1737.
[..] Washington has already grasped China’s helping hand in steering the Security Council resolution on the tribunal for Lebanon (which serves the Saudi-Israeli regional agenda). The agenda in Iraq is much more complex. China’s cooperation in the Security Council could prove crucial in the coming months. Whatever downstream success there is for Bush’s Iraq strategy will depend on the establishment of a UN-mandated Arab peacekeeping force under the Arab League, under the pretext of supporting Iraq’s Sunnis, which, in turn, would enable a US troop withdrawal and Washington’s extrication from the Iraqi quagmire.
Very interesting.
Such a development would require the approval by the Shiite majority. Bush alluded to the need for the “moderates” to step up. Surely though if this is intended it must have been agreed to already.
Very interesting.
