USA TODAY
Happy September from The Oval, chronicler of all things presidential, including a spanking new Oval Office!
President Obama will “turn the page” today from his dramatic Tuesday night speech announcing the end of combat operations in Iraq to a process that’s more like watching paint dry: making peace in the Middle East.
It won’t be easy, as the terrorist attack that killed four Israeli settlers in the West Bank showed Tuesday. The work was that of a Palestinian gunman; the Islamic militant group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, praised the attack.
After a quick check on Hurricane Earl, Obama begins the biggest diplomatic initiative of his presidency with what the diplo world calls a series of “bilaterals” — one-on-one Oval Office meetings with the leaders of Israel and the Palestine Authority, along with fellow watchdogs Egypt and Jordan. Then they all get together for a ceremonial “working dinner” in the Old Family Dining Room.
The guest list includes:
Hovering over the talks and eats will be Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who’s also embarking on her most difficult diplomatic mission, and Middle East special envoy George Mitchell, a wunderkind mediator who engineered peace in Northern Ireland more than a decade ago.
As long as everyone likes the food, they’ll wake up Thursday ready to talk turkey, er, peace. The real negotiating begins at the State Department with a “trilateral” that includes Netanyahu, Abbas and Clinton.
To read more, visit: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/09/obamas-day-ending-war-seeking-peace/1
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