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Posted By Josh Rogin
Saturday, December 4, 2010 - 12:11 PM
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MANAMA, Bahrain—U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tried to speak with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki twice on Friday, pursuing him both inside and outside the gala dinner here at the Ritz Carlton in Manama. But Mottaki deliberately avoided contact with her both times.
"If he comes to the dinner, I'll probably see him. But he doesn't talk to me," Clinton told The Cable in our exclusive interview just hours before the event.
Turns out she was right. Everybody at the opening dinner for the 2010 IISS Manama Security Dialogue, where Clinton gave the speech, was watching to see if she and Mottaki would trade words. After all, they were seated only five seats apart. Clinton went out on a limb twice to try to make it happen, but the end result was only an unintelligible mutter from the Iranian leader in the general direction of the secretary.
Clinton's first attempt came just as the dinner ended. All the leaders sitting at the head table were shaking each other's hands. Mottaki was shaking hands with Jordan's King Abdullah II when Clinton called out to him.
"As I was leaving and they were telling me, ‘Hurry up, you have to get to the plane,' I got up to leave and he was sitting several seats down from me and he was shaking people's hands, and he saw me and he stopped and began to turn away," Clinton told reporters on the plane ride home.
"And I said, ‘Hello, minister!' And he just turned away," said Clinton, adding that Mottaki seemed to mutter something in Farsi but was clearly trying to avoid her.
In his Saturday morning press conference, Mottaki had a different take on the interaction.
"Some people said that last night at the dinner Hillary Clinton said hello to me as I was greeting the king of Jordan," he said. "According to the Islamic tradition, there is a necessity to respond... The people of this region are very famous for being polite."
But that wasn't Clinton's only try. We're told by a senior member of the U.S. delegation that as Clinton's huge team moved to the door, Mottaki kept his delegation back to avoid having the two delegations converge at the door at the same time.
The next attempt by Clinton came outside the conference space, in the driveway while both leaders were waiting for their motorcades to pull up. Again, Clinton called out to Mottaki with a greeting and again, Mottaki refused to respond.
There's a lot of buzz about this game of cat and mouse between Clinton and Mottaki here at the conference. Most observers said that Mottaki simply was not interested in making any news about a warm interaction with Clinton ahead of the negotiations. It simply would not play well for him domestically.
Several attendees speculated that Mottaki is resisting interacting with Clinton at least in part because she is a woman. Mottaki's behavior at the press conference confirmed that he is distinctly less interested in dealing with women face to face.
But if Mottaki thinks he has gotten away with successfully avoiding any direct contact with the U.S. delegation, he is dead wrong. And the funny thing is, he probably doesn't even know it.
After Clinton left town, the delegation heads sat down for lunch Saturday at a local Japanese restaurant. Two witnesses confirmed that as part of the opening greetings, Mottaki shook hands with Assistant Secretary of Defense Alexander Vershbow. Both witnesses said they were sure Mottaki had no idea at the time that he had just shaken hands with a U.S. government official.
This is a terrible embarrassment. Why would the U.S. Government EVER have ANY contact with the government headed by one of the 1979 hostage takers. Are we supposed to pretend that we don't know that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was one of them? Do we think we are going to convert them from radical Islam to rationality?
Do you just read and hear things and only comprehend part? Or are you intentionally a deceitful snake?
Wackmadinajob... is a tyrant and needs to be assasinated.. Iran needs to be blown back to the stone age..
BUT.. "Why would the U.S. Government EVER have ANY contact with the government headed by one of the 1979 hostage takers."
Is an uninformed igorant comment at best. He was one of the only ones AGAINST the hostage taking.. so get your f'ing facts straight moron!
Hey, Mobgius, snap the pills in half next time before you decide to sit down and start typing, alright? You embarrass yourself. Kool-aiding swilling half-wit.
This is yet another reason why the Obama-Clinton-Pelosi-Reid regime must be changed as soon as possible. Obama has been an embarrassment since Day One with his bogus Nobel Peace Prize, apologies to Muslim dictators for America's defense of democracy over the years and leftist policies that impressed even Hugo Chavez.
All this fits perfectly with Obama being the least qualified and most ideological president in US history - a veritable Jimmy Carter on steroids - and is certainly warming the dark hearts of all his long time mentors like Rashid Khalidi, Jeremiah Wright, Louis Farrakhan and Bill Ayers among others.
Regarding American Eagles comment.
The script you were reading from is 3 yrs old. Do you have any new ideas, or are you just watching FOX 24/7... It didnt work then and it will never work now. You hate the fact that a white man is NOT in the WHITE HOUSE.
Let me guess... you live in South Carolina or Texas...Its 2010 not 1950 get a clue or better yet get an education.
You sound very much like a liberal. You just did nothing but insult someone offering his opinion regarding the subject. Yes, it is indeed 2010, but it is you who are living in 1950. Only a very, very few ignorant morons give a crap whether he is black. Is playing the race card all you've got? Is there nothing more to you than "your" racist attitude? Are you a self hating white who tries to think themselves so progressive....Or are you black and desperately clinging to racism as an excuse for your failure as a human being? Try offering proof against his statement instead of being stupid and showing yourself to be the one who is actually racist.
How's that "engagement" workin' out for ya?
The Messiah, being no student of history or psychology, made a point of saying that Bush was an ignoramus for declining to have "talks" with the Whackjobs in Iran. So now, The Messiah and his minions, after nearly two years (two YEARS!) of "engagement" (please explain the difference between engagement and appeasement?) finds that this Whackjob is no different than the German Whackjob of the 1930s & 40s. Every bit the monster; every bit the duplicitous lying thugs that was Hitler. And now, two years later, they are closer than ever to having a nuke. So how's that "engagement" working out for you idiots on the Left? Because the Left understands NOTHING about practicality, we now have two madcountries (NKorea and Iran) who will soon have nukes, except that Iran will hand them off to Al Qaida. I wonder how much more I will be groped in an airport once Iran tests a nuke.
This woman is useless, worse, a complete shame to our Country.
We need to glass bowl Iran's nuclear sites, THEN ask if they'd like to "talk".
Putting a woman who couldn't find out her lecherous husband was philandering all over the country BEFORE the rest of the entire world knew into a position of power and authority over our Security is a move ONLY our pathetic excuse for a President would do.
The ripple effects of the Left's blatant stupidity if not evil will be hurting this country for generations to come. The sooner we dump them and marginalize them to the point of microscopic involvement, the better.
The ONLY thing keeping us from having more aggressive actions against us from several sources is the dissent from the majority of the American public after the hijacking of our government by idiots and miscreants having duped enough of the center to get into power.
NEVER again.
If you look up the word Republican in the dictionary you will see the following
1- Conservative
2- Wingnut
3- Hypocrit
4- Ignorant
5- Slave Owner
6- Uneducated
7- Gun Owner
8- Red Neck
9- Not capable of learning
10- Loser
Oh my...
Now as I read further you prove me correct. You have nothing to offer than ignorant insults.
Let me be clear about my point...
I don't know that *anyone* can turn Iran around without there being war. A really god-awful war at that.
But "engagement" (appeasement) just gives Iran and its allies time to strengthen and to develop and put into play plans that can give the US and its allies increasing levels of grief.
History will look back upon 2008 as the year that America went to the nut house, and hired an amateur, actually believing he was THE Messiah!, but was in fact a fool who couldn't figure out how to deal with allies in a sensible way, let alone tyrants who view only through a lens of raw power. History will look at 2010 as the year that America started regaining sanity and if the trend holds, 2012 will be a year that America (through the Tea Party and folks like them) takes back the country from amateur Marxist thugs and gets back on a road of sanity.
Let us hope that between now and then, Iran doesn't hand off a nuke.
Let's not be ideological and blame Hillary because "her husband" cheated on her when that has nothing to do with anything. Let's not be so pea-minded and simpletons.
Hillary is just doing Obama's job...she is the Secretary of State and has to do what Obama asks of her. It makes me sad that she is not President as she would have been a great President and would not be bending over and begging Iran to negotiate like the Obama Administration has.
Iranians want freedom and kissing up to an illegitimate and illegal regime appals me. This is coming from someone who is originally of Iranian ancestry..
Hurry, you've got to get to the plan
I love the part about her being told to hurry to the plane................
as if she's flying commercial and the plane is about to take off without her.
As the pilot was revving the engines and had his foot on the brakes as Hillz ran up the boarding stairs.
"You were cuttung it kind of close Madame Secretary. I was fixin' to put this put this bird into orbit without ewe!"
As if the pilot was revving the engines and had his foot on the brakes as Hillz ran up the boarding stairs.
"You were cuttng it kind of close Madame Secretary. I was fixin' to put this bird into orbit without ewe!".... "And tell that stewardess that it's three man-fingers worth of Scotch".
This is from the worst quotes to use in bed blog.
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=41216&page=10
Diplomacy, you get what you wanted, and what we paid for! Don't you Hilliary?
'' He doesnt like you... I don't like you either!"
That's from Star Wars... 1977, when Hillary was prettier.
Maybe there's a reason, a sign, something is wrong with the US, or is it just YOU, Hillary......
It should not surprise anyone reading the comments that this article was linked from the DrudgeReport.
Why would anyone want to talk with us
Serious. Everyone should be hiding from us, they know in a month or two the conversation with be on wikileaks for everyone to read. This is what happens when you put anti-Americans in charge. How is that Hope and Change working out, I know for some it is going as planned.
If she wanted to get his attention she should have said, "Hello minister, we wish to extend our condolences to the families of your assassinated scientists."
He is not being rude. He spoke to her each time. Some one needs to translate what he is saying. According to the laws that he lives under he is not allowed to touch a woman unless married to her, even a handshake is not permissible.
He is an Islamic fundamentalist, and she is an Infidel female. Under Sharia Law he can only have conversations with her male relatives.
Some sharia might do comrade clinton some good
Seriously,the delusional management I observe from the marxist regime occupying The White House is the sort of delusional,arrogant,"I'm goona reinvent the wheel "attitude that caused the Americans to be taken hostage in 1979.
Again,the main reason for the instability in the Middle East is due to carter ignoring the telephone when the Shah of Iran called his American ally for assistance
The last three Secretaries of State have been women,maybe the islamic fundamentalists prefer to talk to Men....Real Men
...of the Obama Administration's attempt to appease Iran. It's turned into game-playing with the US being the Playee. We saw this coming, but noooooo - we had to treat Ahmadinajad like a legitimate world leader instead of the low-life tyrant he is. Now they're laughing at us in Tehran and everywhere else for that matter. Way to go Barack!
Many muslims consider woman unclean and her reputation precedes her.
Mottaki's obviously in high dudgeon over being approached by a lesser being. Of the opposite sex. [For how Hillary did the same thing to her political opponent, see: Rick Lazio, 2000 Senatorial campaign, "New York Freedom From Soft Money Pledge.".] But, of course, Hillary and the liberal women's special interest lobby have NO interest in this TRUE affront. It's just Muslims acting Muslim.
The United States Of America should not be chasing some 3rd world dung speck around for a conversation. They should be begging to talk to us. This whole administration is seen by the rest of the world for what they are; unqualified amateurs completely out of their league on the world stage.
John Hudson reports on national security and foreign policy from the Pentagon to Foggy Bottom, the White House to Embassy Row, for The Cable.
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