No ‘Substantive Meetings’ With Iran Planned Next Week
Iran is going to attend next week’s U.N. conference on Afghanistan at the Hague, but State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid (it’s pronounced do-good; don’t
Jul 31, 2020378.5K Shares5.7M Views
Iran is going to attendnext week’s U.N. conference on Afghanistan at the Hague, but State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid (it’s pronounced “do-good”; don’t act like you weren’t wondering) says not to expect much in the way of U.S.-Iranian discussion:
“„MR. DUGUID:…On your question about meetings. No substantive meetings are planned with Iranian officials at this time.
QUESTION:When you say no substantive meetings, are you – is the Secretary planning on having a chit-chat over coffee, you know –
MR. DUGUID:A chit-chat over coffee is –
QUESTION:— on the sidelines of the meeting?
MR. DUGUID:— is a substantive meeting. And a non-substantive meeting is a meeting in the way in and on the way out. So the answer is we had plans for no substantive meetings at this time.
Well, why not? Secretary Clinton personally invitedthe Iranians. She and Richard Holbrookejust want to peer at them from across the table?
“„They will speak. We will listen to them. We will hear their points of view. And they will also hear our points of view in a discussion about Afghanistan. That is not, I think, the particular question. The particular question, as Sue defined it, was the U.S. and Iran using this particular meeting to sit down and talk about other things. There are no plans for that at this time.
Maybe there’ll be a breakout session chance encounter or the relaying of messages through intermediaries. All furtive diplomacy resembles the junior high lunchroom.
Paolo Reyna
Reviewer
Paolo Reyna is a writer and storyteller with a wide range of interests. He graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies.
Paolo enjoys writing about celebrity culture, gaming, visual arts, and events. He has a keen eye for trends in popular culture and an enthusiasm for exploring new ideas. Paolo's writing aims to inform and entertain while providing fresh perspectives on the topics that interest him most.
In his free time, he loves to travel, watch films, read books, and socialize with friends.
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