STATE Official: "Abbas is a good man ...but he is feckless..."

MEPGS: excerpts:

President Obama's unusual, if not unprecedented background

press briefing last week on US policy towards Iran surprised even

veteran Administration officials. "It shows not only the

importance the President places on reining in Iran's nuclear

program but the success he feels he has achieved so far in

reaching that goal," said one State Department official. Senior

US officials make no secret of their pride in the

Administration's accomplishments. "Look at what we have been

able to do since taking office," said one senior US official.

"When we came into office, Iran was on a roll; highly confident

that international pressure could be easily withstood. Now,

unable to demonize the US led by this President, they have one

suffered one after another setbacks." ......." Veteran

State Department officials acknowledge, as one put it this week,

"The US is in a better place [with Iran]" due to a number of

Obama Administration initiatives, including the "reset" in

relations with Russia. But this official, reflecting the views

of a number of his colleagues, insists that while there may be

cracks in the Iranian system, it is far from broken. Even Joint

Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen's statement that the US has

military plans in case of conflict with Iran was greeted with a

yawn at the State Department. Said one senior official, "The

only way to take the military option off the table is to disarm."

While there is no indication that the Administration is

seriously considering a military option at this stage, top US

officials are convinced that should the current strategy not

alter Iran's drive to achieve a nuclear weapon, Israel will act

militarily. And while these officials are not above using the

threat of unilateral Israeli action as an incentive to gain

international support for its diplomatic offensive against Iran,

they also say it is not their fear of Israeli action alone that

motivates them. "If we don't succeed, our friends throughout the

region will be endangered," says one key US official. "Saudi

Arabia, no less than Israel will be affected.

As a result, the President, according to well-placed

sources, has made Iran his number one security objective. "In

every conversation with his Russian and Chinese counterparts, the

President has made discussion about Iran the centerpiece," says

one top Administration official. Still, some US analysts argue to

adopt a more "realistic" approach to what they believe is the

inevitability of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons, especially since

it appears that Teheran has already attained "nuclear

capability."...... Even hard liners within the Administration admit that

diverting Iran from its present course by means of threats and

economic sanctions has its limitations. .... Most important, however, is the willingness, in some case

eagerness of US and European officials to again engage in a

dialogue with Iran. According to informed sources, Iran has made

a number of outreaches to the US and others previously engaged in

talks and now it is considered a distinct possibility that some

kind of talks with US, Russian, Chinese, French, British and

German officials [Known as the "P-5+1] about Iran's nuclear

program could well take place as early as next month.

While some US and European officials are in no hurry to

resume a dialogue with Iran, these same officials are more than

eager to see talks begin as soon as possible between Israel and

the Palestinian Authority. With Israel's ten month partial

settlement freeze about to run out, a steady stream of US and

European officials have been making their views known to

Palestinian leader Abu Mazen. And even those most sympathetic to

his political weakness, have made no secret of their frustration

with their inability to get him to agree to direct talks. "He is

a good man," says one veteran US official who has known Abu Mazen

for many years. "But he is feckless."

What is particularly frustrating to a number of officials is

that, with qualified Arab backing for direct talks and Israeli

embrace of them, Abu Mazen has put himself in the position of

spoiler. "Abu Mazen really wants a peace deal. We're not so

sure about Bibi [Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu], says one

veteran US official. Other, more senior US officials say that

President Obama is convinced that Netanyahu is serious about

making an acceptable deal. They say that in recognition of this

fact, the Administration adjusted its approach to dealing with

the Israeli Prime Minister. "The President understood that the

Israelis needed to feel comfortable," said one well-placed US

official. He also added "The old way wasn't working."

White House support for Israel in the recent flare-up at the

Lebanese border was added evidence of this new sensitivity.

Unlike State Department officials who emphasized that the Israeli

military did not give sufficient warning of its planned "brush

clearing" activities near the border, senior White House

officials blamed the Lebanese Army for not obeying "rules of

engagement" and UNIFIL, the United Nation's peacekeepers in

southern Lebanon for not living up to their mission.