".... What's on Clinton's Saudi agenda? Getting Saudi leaders to offer the Chinese energy supply guarantees in exchange for Beijing's nod for Iran sanctions, AFP's Lachlan Carmichael posits:
Clinton's aides neither confirmed nor denied suggestions that they would ask Saudi leaders to offer China, which imports much of its oil from Iran, supply guarantees in return for Beijing's support for new UN sanctions."Saudi Arabia has an important trading relationship with China already," Jeffrey Feltman, Clinton's top assistant for the Middle East, told reporters en route to Doha, via Shannon, Ireland.Feltman noted that there have been a number of recent visits between the Gulf and China."We would expect them (the Saudis) to use these visits, to use their relationship in ways that can help increase the pressure that Iran feels," said Feltman ...Earlier today in interviews on the Sunday morning news shows, Vice President Joseph Biden and National Security Advisor Jim Jones both suggested that they expected China would get on board a new UN Security Council resolution on Iran.
European diplomats told POLITICO Friday that they expected a fairly weak resolution to come out of the UN Security Council in the coming weeks, that would not include Iran's Central Bank or mandate sanctions on Iran's energy sector. They said the U.S., France and Britain are harmonizing their sanctions drafts, and then the "P3" expect their joint draft would be further watered down in the process of consultations with the Russians and Chinese. The U.S. draft currently does not sanction Iran's energy sector, while France's draft does. It's a tough Security Council, they acknowledged, with several non permanent members - Lebanon, Brazil, Vietnam, and possibly Turkey - not certain to support a new Iran resolution.....
"The Iranians will realize even if the sanctions are not so strong, that they have entered a new phase, a completely new world, " a European diplomat said Friday. "It is very uncomfortable from their perspective. It can send a signal."..."
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This just in:
"A fight broke out between high-ranking US and Turkish officials at a meeting held between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Qatar.
The fight was reported between the US ambassador to Qatar and an advisor to the Turkish prime minister at the end of a 20-minute meeting between Clinton and Erdogan on Monday.
The altercation took place after the US envoy entered the room to remind those present to close the meeting as the time was over.
In response, Erdogan's adviser said, "It is not for you to judge the importance of our meeting, you offend our country," the Turkish daily Today's Zaman reported.
The quarrel led to physical confrontation and the two diplomats were separated with difficulty."
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=118689§ionid=351020205
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