Kerry on Iran nuclear talks: I want to get this done
PARIS Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Wednesday said it would be more difficult to reach a deal with Iran curbing its ability to build nuclear weapons if negotiations extend beyond a Nov. 24 deadline.
I want to get this done, Kerry said during a series of meetings in which the Iranian negotiations figured prominently. And we are driving toward the finish with a view of trying to get it done.
Kerry said Iran is entitled to develop its nuclear program for civilian, not military, use.
They have a right to a peaceful program but not a track to a bomb, Kerry said. We believe it is pretty easy to prove to the world that a plan is peaceful.
Asked what impact a GOP Senate majority might have on the negotiations, Kerry demurred, saying he is no longer a politician.
Kerry is in Paris on the first leg of a three-country trip that includes a stop in Muscat, Oman, for talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. Negotiations began years ago but took on a new urgency after last years election of President Hassan Rouhani, a moderate.
Now, negotiators from the United States and five other world powers are facing a looming deadline to forge a groundbreaking deal with Iran to reduce and limit its nuclear capacity. In return, the West is prepared to ease and ultimately lift sanctions against the economically strapped country.
We think a deal is possible, said a Western diplomat with knowledge of the talks. But its going to be very difficult.
A pact with the pariah nation could produce a lasting legacy for Obama. But an extended deadline may embolden skeptics, including members of Congress suspicious that Irans intentions arent peaceful. Sentiment in Congress is strong for even more sanctions on Iran.
The Iran talks are taking a bite out of Kerrys week-long trip. The administration has been trying to devote more attention and resources to Asia, a region with opportunities for ties that foster economic growth and security agreements. But crises in the Middle East and Europe keep interrupting the diplomatic agenda.
See the original post:
Kerry on Iran nuclear talks: I want to get this done