By: Joseph Salomonsen

Germany and China agreed Iran shouldn't be allowed to develop nuclear weapons, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today in Beijing after meeting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao. ``We talked about Iran and agreed Iran should not have the capability to make nuclear weapons and shouldn't proliferate weapons of mass destruction,'' Merkel, said in a briefing in the Great Hall of the People. Thank heavens China seems to be more on board now, only Russia remains. And only if for Russia's SC veto right we should have them on board. Here a few of my suggestions for the US to use as diplomatic tools.

 

• Assure President Putin US won’t meddle in his internal affairs: meaning not to
criticize Russia on three major points.

1- The Chechnya situation

2- The Russian election system

3- Russian media ownership

• Assure Russia, US wont support the dissident
oligarchs

• Assure Russia greater economic ties as in WTO

• AssureRussia will act as a major player in a free Iran

• And last not least Assure Russia it will be and perhaps is a power to reckon with and that the US is not in competition with but rather as a partner and a major player in the region.

I think with those points President Putin's main concerns would be addressed and hopefully jump aboard.