The Briefing Room
General Category => World News => Topic started by: EC on March 14, 2014, 06:28:29 am
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Via Arutz Sheva 7: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/178492
Iran has to take some "tough decisions" as world powers seek to hammer out a nuclear deal, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday, according to AFP.
His comments came as he was grilled by lawmakers over the talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 group of world powers, which are due to start up again in Vienna on Monday.
Under a six-month interim deal, Iran agreed to freeze its uranium enrichment program in return for sanctions relief worth some $6-7 billion, including the transfer of some $4.2 billion in frozen overseas funds.
Kerry insisted during a hearing of the Senate appropriations committee that Washington was testing whether the new Iranian leadership of President Hassan Rouhani was serious in reining in its nuclear program, which the West believes is a covert grab for an atomic bomb.
"We believe we're heading in the right direction. I can't tell you where it's going to finally land, we don't know," Kerry said of the negotiations due to last for the next six months towards a comprehensive deal.
"There's some very tough decisions the Iranians are going to have to make -- very tough -- in order to meet the international community's standard for certainty as to the peacefulness of this program," he added, according to AFP.
He hit back against criticism that Iran was now attracting cash-flow and business back to the country, and that the sanctions relief was being used to fund Hezbollah terrorists fighting in Syria.
Kerry said he had contacted his counterparts around the world amid reports of trade delegations going to Iran.
"We have made it crystal clear that Iran is not open for business. They have accepted that," he declared, according to AFP.
"They are not cutting deals. There are people who have traveled, but there have not been new deals."
More at link.
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Washington first or Tel-Avie?
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Is the final deal going to be getting Iran to agree not to use its nuclear weapons? :pondering:
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Neville Chamberlain would be very proud, indeed.
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Neville Chamberlain would be very proud, indeed.
Beh - I wind up doing this a lot! :shrug:
Neville Chamberlain did the only thing he could do at the time. He bought time to ramp up both the military and production - both of which were only possible because he laid the groundwork before he became PM. Without him, we'd be speaking German right now, and the US would be about the level of Canada in international relations.
Cut the guy a bit of slack. And don't confuse a clear eyed, pragmatic PM with the Worm and his associates. It is insulting.
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hard decisions: will they have coffee or tea at the next "negotiating" session? do they want the US delegation to sit on the floor like puppies, or bow in submission on their knees? will they laugh in the faces of the US delegation, or just in private? will they tell Kerry to his face that he looks like Lurch, or will they just smirk in silence?
hard decisions all.
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hard decisions: will they have coffee or tea at the next "negotiating" session? do they want the US delegation to sit on the floor like puppies, or bow in submission on their knees? will they laugh in the faces of the US delegation, or just in private? will they tell Kerry to his face that he looks like Lurch, or will they just smirk in silence?
hard decisions all.
Get outa my head.......
It would be funny if it were not so serious.
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John F in Kerry served in Vietnam you know!
Stayed there long enough to manufacture three purple hearts that HE put himself in for and got the hell out of Dodge!
Tough bastard he is! Better not mess with him!
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hard decisions: will they have coffee or tea at the next "negotiating" session? do they want the US delegation to sit on the floor like puppies, or bow in submission on their knees? will they laugh in the faces of the US delegation, or just in private? will they tell Kerry to his face that he looks like Lurch, or will they just smirk in silence?
hard decisions all.
Boom! Nailed it.