By Salama A Salama The conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, which brought together world leaders with those of Iraq and surrounding nations, had a busy agenda. The task was momentous and all the dignitaries were there. Then the woman in red spoiled it all. According to media reports, that woman may have aborted a much- awaited meeting between US Secretary of State Rice and the Iranian foreign minister. Forget about the world of high politics. Now we're into the realm of children's books, where fairies and people in fancy clothes dwell. According to one version of the story, Minister Mottaki, who was sitting across from Rice at the dinner table, had to leave the party because he was offended by the violinist's revealing dress. Rice later said that she wasn't eager to talk to Mottaki. And a US spokesman quipped that he didn't know whether Mottaki was more alarmed by Rice or the violinist. The story added comic relief to the horror show of US foreign policy. The US administration has finally realised that it cannot get out of Iraq without the help of Iraq's neighbours, especially Syria and Iran. But the Americans aren't doing much to clear the tensions. Now even Arab moderates are wondering if the Americans can end the bloodbath in Iraq. They don't even trust Maliki's government to bring the Sunnis back into the fold, disband Shia militia, and end ethnic cleansing. When the Americans asked the Saudis to invite Maliki for a visit, they flatly refused. The conference came up with nothing new. The Iraqi government reiterated the same promises it made a couple of months ago at a similar conference in Baghdad. One is tempted to think that the conference was Bush's way of deflecting criticism at home, but for how long? The Americans need to talk to the Iranians, and yet Washington is unwilling to let Tehran off the hook. So the plot thickens. Why on earth would Tehran help Washington out in Iraq when the Americans are still talking sanctions and raising hell about Iran's nuclear programme? Before the conference started, the Americans hinted that they wanted to talk to the Iranians about Iraq, but they still harangued Tehran about its uranium enrichment programme. The Americans didn't even bother to release -- or promise to release -- the Iranian diplomats they snatched recently in Irbil. So it wasn't just the revealing red dress that broke the deal. Iraq remains in a vicious circle, caught up between a US rock and an Iranian hard place. And Arab countries came out of Sharm El-Sheikh with nothing to brag about. The only exception is Syria, whose foreign minister, Walid Al-Muallem, held talks with Rice on security cooperation and halting arms transfers and infiltrators. The Syrians want to normalise ties, but they still insist on a timetable for US withdrawal from Iraq. Still, a new leaf is about to turn in US-Syrian relations. One reason for the sudden rapprochement is that Washington wants to disconnect Damascus from Tehran. However, the ties between Iran and Syria are too strong to be weakened by one US gesture. The Syrians are also making progress in their relations with Saudi Arabia and the EU, and have just invited Prince Saud Al-Faysal and Javier Solana to visit. The Sharm El-Sheikh conference has bought time for both the Americans and the Iraqi government. Prime Minister Maliki has made some promises, but no one knows who or what to believe. The Americans could have set a timetable for withdrawal. Instead, they gave us a fairy tale about a woman in red.
