Kerry briefly abandoned as Iran talks falter

 

Secretary of State John Kerry

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stayed at the negotiating table with Iran for nuclear talks, even as the deadline passed – but not so several of his diplomatic colleagues, who abandoned the meeting in the wee morning Wednesday hours.

Philip Hammond, the foreign secretary for the United Kingdom, expressed hope shortly after the midnight deadline came and went that participating players – the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany – would be able to strike a deal later Wednesday.

“I think we have a broad framework of understanding but there are still some key issues that have to be worked through,” he said, BBC reported. “Some of them are quite detailed and technical so there is still quite a lot of work to do, but we are on it now and we’ll keep going at it.”

Read all about John Kerry’s political baggage, in “The Many Faces of John Kerry,” “Unfit for Command” and “To Set the Record Straight.”

He also added, BBC reported: “Fingers crossed, we hope to get there during the day.”

Yet optimism among other nations’ ministers seemed to fade a bit – to the point where several representatives left the room, despite the pressing of Kerry to continue to talk. Fox News reported representatives for France, Russia and China all left the table, leaving their deputies in charge. It wasn’t clear how that situation would impact negotiations on Wednesday.

Formal negotiations among Kerry, Hammond and German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier continued, the Associated Press reported. The State Department, meanwhile, is painting the negotiations so far as a success.

Marie Harf said talks on Tuesday evening had progressed well, though “there are several difficult issues still remaining,” Fox News reported.

Kerry briefly abandoned as Iran talks falter
Cheryl Chumley
Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:46:25 GMT