Sharm el-Sheikh is a beautiful and popular resort town on the southern tip of Egypt's Sinai peninsula. While this Red Sea city was the site of a terrible terrorist attack in 2005, it is more often recognized as the home of many international peace conferences. And a very big one will be held there this week to discuss a regional path toward diplomatic and development success in Iraq.
The meeting may bring high-level representatives from the United States, Iraq, Iran and Syria to the same table for the first time in a very long time. The United States has been firm on not negotiating with Iran and Syria. Iran is part of what Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice termed the "Outposts of Tyranny," and Syria is hardly more popular. But the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting on fixing Iraq likely cannot reach real success without all of Iraq's neighbors. And that means involving Iran and Syria.
"The door is opening on the possibility of the first real U.S.-Iranian negotiations since 1979. Both sides have to decide they want them -- and ignore the powerful voices in each capital that argue for confrontation," writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post.
"The United States is showing signs of softening its attitude toward Iran, an Iranian official said on Sunday, but added that Tehran had not yet decided to attend a meeting on Iraq with senior US officials," wrote the Daily Star of Lebanon last week.
What will and will not happen at the meeting seems to be up in the air as the event draws near. Recent reports say Rice has not ruled out a face-to-face meeting with the Iranian representative.
Also attending will be UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. At the meeting, he and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will launch the "International Compact with Iraq," a five year peace and development plan.
See also: Timeline of US-Iran Relations