Kerry asks for benefit of the doubt on Iran nuclear talks

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By BRADLEY KLAPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday tried to calm tensions with Israel before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's congressional address, yet insisted the Obama administration's diplomatic record with Iran entitles the U.S. to "the benefit of the doubt" as negotiators work toward a long-term nuclear deal.

Kerry said in an interview broadcast before he left for more talks in Switzerland with Iran's foreign minister that Netanyahu was welcome to speak in the U.S. and that the administration did not want the event "turned into some great political football."

That sentiment was a step back from some of the sharp rhetoric between the allies in recent weeks, and Kerry mentioned that he talked to Netanyahu as recently as Saturday.

But Kerry stressed that Israel was safer as a result of the short-term nuclear pact that world powers and Iran reached in late 2013, and he described that improvement as the "standard we will apply to any agreement" with the Islamic Republic.

FULL story at link.



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu looks on before praying at the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City, Saturday Feb. 28, 2015. (AP Photo/Marc Sellem, Pool)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150301/united_states-israel-1875976a50.html

[Botany]

1. Nice idea but it is not going to happen because "they" don't like that Black Guy who is POTUS.

Sec. Kerry has worked hard and long on getting a deal done but the republicans are more then
willing to risk more wars and bloodshed because they refuse to have President Obama accomplish
anything.

What Speaker Boner is doing is nothing short of sedition because international diplomacy and
foreign are under the perview of the administration ..... I might be wrong but I think those powers
are granted to the executive branch by the U.S. Constitution.

[George Osborne]

2. This has nothing to do with President Obama or the colour of his skin

I saved this a few years ago from the BBC

Examining the perceived decline of U.S. power in the global arena, BBC World Affairs Editor John Simpson opines:

''As the international protector of Israel, the US will still have a major part to play in the central dispute in the region, even though the Israeli tail usually seems to wag the American dog.''

[Botany]

3. This has everything to do w/President Obama and in private I have no doubt that ....

Last edited Sun Mar 1, 2015, 05:58 PM - Edit history (1)

.... many republicans still can't stomach the idea that a black man is President.

Israel has been a 1st rate pain in the ass as far as getting a lasting peace in the
middle east and a negotiated deal w/Iran to limit their production of highly enhanced
radioactive material is in everybody's best interest.

We have 200,000 vets from our last two unneeded wars with traumatic brain damage
from explosions and I for one don't want to make anymore. Sec. Kerry has been doing some
very hard and important work trying to get a deal w/Iran. Both Bibi and Boner's actions
to try and scuttle that work are just plain nasty and dangerous.

[George Osborne]

5. Your are correct with regard to the Republican's rasism

Israel doesn't treat it Black Jewish immigrants any better then Republicians treat the black population, especially President Obama.

But I'll stand with the BBC on who's the dog and who's tail.

As an asside. Many of us living abroad wondered why the Democrats would pick some obscure Black politician in the first place.

It certainly wasn't for the black vote, they already had that, but as one Hungarian friend pointed out it seems that he was chosen to create this racial tension that allowed a Democratic president to go along with endless wars on 'terrorism'', the further dismantiling the Great Society programs as well as Social Security, keeping taxes on the wealthy at this all time low and the emasculating of the US Constitution.

And since the Republicians chose a real nincompoop, in the form of Sarah Palin to tank John McCaine Obama was a shoe in.

[libdem4life]

7. I thought at the time that Hillary got truly over-confident which left open a space for a male. My

take was it took on a gender aspect, the "uppity woman" meme, rather than a racial one. PUMA did not help matters. I think that's why she's so quiet and contained now.

[Botany]

8. I worked in both elections ..... President Obama won because he ran a better campaigns then ..

.... Hillary, McCain, and Mitt.

"It certainly wasn't for the black vote, they already had that, but as one Hungarian friend pointed out it seems that he was chosen to create this racial tension that allowed a Democratic president to go along with endless wars on 'terrorism'', the further dismantiling the Great Society programs as well as Social Security, keeping taxes on the wealthy at this all time low and the emasculating of the US Constitution." R you kidding me? What a bucket of codswallop.

[hollowdweller]

4. Here's what I don't understand

I've seen various interviews with Rice and Kerry.

Both say they haven't reached any sort of deal yet and sort of insinuate that Iran is being too inflexible and that a deal may not even be reached.

So it's obvious that they are not falling all over themselves to give Iran a sweetheart deal. They are sort of going the extra mile to give enough time to work things out given the mistrust on both sides.

But anyway when the republicans are questioned they don't seem to support invasion or even bombing, yet they somehow insinuate that we can't trust Iran even if we do cut a deal.

So what is their plan? I mean essentially we couldn't find anything in Iraq with the weapons inspectors there but we couldn't trust them so we invaded. Yet almost at the same time We 100% KNEW North Korea had stuff and was re starting their program and we did not do shit. The Republican president and congress at the time that is.

So what the hell is their complaint specifically? And if a republican wins as president then are we just going to forget about it and let them get nukes like NK if we know or if we can't find anything are we going to invade them??

[George Osborne]

6. Some information that may prove useful

Israeli officials who had grown resigned to the idea that Obama will allow Iran a greater uranium enrichment capability than they would like. Israel's concern is that a final deal restricting Iran’s nuclear program will “sunset” any agreement as early as 2025.

Israel has nuclear weapons, Iran feels that if it also had nuclear weapons, Israel would be less aggressive towards it neighbours.

If No. Korea didn't have the nuclear weapons, the US would have invaded it like Iraq, and Libya.

One little know fact in America; Iran is a signator of the Non Poliferication Treaty and is allowed under this treaty to the peaceful use nuclear technology.

The Non Poliferation Treaty is often seen to be based on a central bargain: “the NPT non-nuclear-weapon states agree never to acquire nuclear weapons and the NPT nuclear-weapon states in exchange agree to share the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology and to pursue nuclear disarmament aimed at the ultimate elimination of their nuclear arsenals”.

Isreal is the only Mideast state that has not signed the landmark 1979 Non-Proliferation Treaty and has some 200 nukes, enough to destroy the world.

It is my understanding that under Foreign Military Financing (FMF), any country that has nuclear technology and does not sign the treaty can not get US aid of any kind. Yet Israel still gets Billions of US tax dollars a year and has some 200 Nuclear weapons.

If you were Iran or Lebannon wouldn't you like some nukes to keep Isreal from invading. After all the in the face of ''Mutural destruction'' kept the US and Russia from using them.

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/iran-nuclear-deal-israel-115510.html#ixzz3TAIRlr8a
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_on_the_Non-Proliferation_of_Nuclear_Weapons
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/02/27/how-netanyahu-and-the-white-house-differ-on-irans-nuclear-program/

[Botany]

9. FYI

Iran has been burning some of it's higher grade of radioactive material in nuclear reactors that
make electricity since the have started talking w/Sec. Kerry.