Cautiously optimistic

I'm honestly not sure what to make of this story, given Shrub's disdain for the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group Report last year, but I'm willing to allow a flicker of hope to endure in my stomach.

From the New York Times:

Plans for talks between Iraq and its neighbors, including Iran and Syria, to find ways to curb the nation’s sectarian violence is now expected to involve the United States and Britain, Iraq’s foreign minister and American officials said today.

Taking part in such talks would represent a shift for the United States. The bipartisan Iraq Study Group recommended in December that Washington hold direct talks with Syria and Iran to help stem the violence in Iraq, but the Bush administration was cool to the idea.

The United States has accused Iran of fomenting violence in Iraq and of supplying weapons that have been used in Iraq to kill American troops. American officials have also accused Syria of letting foreign fighters cross its border with Iraq...

The Iraqi foreign minister, Hoshiar Zebari, said the regional meeting on Iraq would include Iraq; its six neighbors; the United States, Britain and the three other members of the United Nations Security Council; the members of the Arab League, and The Organization of Islamic Conference.

Because of security concerns, he said, the delegates would be officials at the rank of deputy minister and below rather than the foreign ministers themselves. But he said he expected the meeting to lead to others.

The American embassy in Baghdad confirmed the participation of American officials in the talks.

Seriously, I'm not sure if this is a sign that Shrub's people are willing to admit that Syrians and Iranians might be better equipped to deal with the situation in Iraq than they are, or perhaps they're just playing politics, but I'm encouraged by this. Whatever the administration's intentions, it seems like only good can come of this.

Thoughts, anyone?