STATE officials 'privately': "...the US will have to offer further concessions to maintain UN Security Council support for Iran sanctions..."

SWOOP/ here

"...The foreign policy arena is not offering any relief. The flotilla incident off Gaza exposed the fault lines between the Administration’s instinct to be supportive of Israel while at the same time not breaking ranks with major allies like Turkey. As one NSC official put it to us: “We probably ended up pleasing no-one.” Officials tell us they are convinced that the sharp disagreements arising from the flotilla incident will preclude any prospects – already dim – for progress on the Middle East peace process and, more importantly, that it will fray international solidarity over Iran. State Department officials tell us privately that the US will have to offer further concessions in order to maintain UN Security Council support for a fresh round of sanctions. Additionally, at the Shangri-lamilitary conference in Singapore, the US made little progress in building international support to condemn North Korea. To the contrary, China’s recent refusal to accept a visit by Secretary of Defense Gates illustrates the continuing discord in the military side of the US-China relationship. However, officials do draw satisfaction from the confirmation of the killing of Al-Qaeda’s number three official by a US drone missile in Pakistan and the successful inaugural session of the US-India Strategic Dialogue. President Obama will visit India in October."