Kerry and European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, hold talks on Iran, Syria, Egypt, the Mideast peace process and other matters. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the window for diplomacy with Iran over its nuclear programme is “cracking open,” but that “no deal is better than a bad deal.”
Kerry made the comments in a speech Sunday via satellite from London to a foreign policy conference in California by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying organisation in the United States. The State Department released excerpts of KerryÂ’s prepared remarks.
Earlier on Sunday, Kerry and European UnionÂ’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, held talks on Iran, Syria, Egypt, the Mideast peace process and other matters.
The focus on IranÂ’s number programme comes before the start of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and the five permanent UN Security Council members and Germany that are set for Tuesday and Wednesday in Geneva.
“Right now, the window for diplomacy is cracking open. But I want you to know that our eyes are open, too,” Kerry said in his remarks to AIPAC.
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“While we seek a peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear programme, words must be matched with actions. In any engagement with Iran, we are mindful of Israel’s security needs. We are mindful of the need for certainty, transparency, and accountability in the process. And I believe firmly that no deal is better than a bad deal,” according to the excerpts of Kerry’s speech.
International penalties over IranÂ’s nuclear programme have damaged IranÂ’s economy, and Iran wants to ease them in exchange for some concessions. The West contends Iran is trying to make a nuclear weapon. Tehran says its program is for peaceful purposes.
Kerry and Ashton also discussed efforts to organise an international peace conference aimed at achieving a political transition in war-torn Syria. The State Department said Kerry’s session with Ashton was “very productive.”
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