NEW YORK TIMES: US TO ATTEND AFGHAN MEETING IN RUSSIA

Obama has accepted an invitation to attend a conference concerning Afghanistan in Russia at which Iran is also expected to be a participant.  Patrick Moon, the principal deputy assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia affairs, will attend the event, although there is no plans for interactions with the Iranians there.  State Department spokesman Robert Wood stated that: 

‘The reason why we think it’s important to go to this conference is that it’s about Afghanistan and how the international community can try to better the situation on the ground, better coordinate activities (and) see what types of things we can do together to help make things better for the people of Afghanistan. 

Question to the Blogosphere:  Why is the U.S. attending this meeting when they do not even have observer status with the organization sponsoring it, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization?  Is there any hope for reaching common ground between the Near/Far East and the U.S. on the issue of Afghanistan?  What barriers to a negotiated solution lie in the way of cooperation between the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization  and the United States?  Do you believe that there will be no interactions between the U.S. and Iran during this conference–even in back-channel negotiations?  Should there be dialogue at this time and place between the two countries?