The Geneva meeting with Iran over the weekend did not go well. The presence of a U.S. representative apparently made little difference, nor did Iran appear to appreciate the gesture (The Washington Post – Iran Nuclear Talks End Without Agreement):
High-level international talks on Iran's nuclear program ended inconclusively today in Geneva, with European envoy Javier Solana telling reporters that Iran needed to give a more definitive answer within two weeks.
The meeting was significant because for the first time a U.S. diplomat, Undersecretary of State William J. Burns, joined other envoys in meeting with the top Iranian nuclear negotiator. U.S. officials had said the shift in Bush administration policy was intended to help lead to a breakthrough in the impasse over the Iranian program, but if Iran failed to respond positively, it only would unify the international coalition dealing with Iran.
“It was a constructive meeting, but still we didn't get the answer to our questions,” Solana said at a news conference. “We hope very much we get the answer and we hope it will be done in a couple of weeks.”
I can't help but think that Iran passed up an important opportunity to show flexibility and that this does not bode well for an eventual diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis. What happens next? In true diplomatic fashion, the parties resolved to meet again in two-weeks, with continued Iranian intransigence expected to be met with another round of U.N. sanctions. If Iran does not compromise then the Security Council will be forced to consider stronger measures, which Russia and China may well veto, placing Iran on a path toward unilateral military action by the U.S. and Israel. The only real grounds for optimism I see is the prospect that Iran is waiting until after the U.S. presidential election in the hopes that they may get a better deal from the next president.