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Kerry Holds Historic Meeting with Iran's FM (updated)
Last edited Thu Sep 26, 2013, 08:44 PM - Edit history (1)
Kerry Holds Historic Meeting with Iran's FM
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made history Thursday, holding one-on-one nuclear talks with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Their meeting in New York was the highest-level talks between U.S. and Iranian officials since the Islamic revolution of 1979, when American hostages were seized and diplomatic ties came to a standstill.
Kerry said he was pleased to see Zarif come to New York to meet with the major world powers. He said Zarif put some "possibilities" on the table.
Before his separate meeting with Kerry, Zarif met with foreign ministers from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany about Iran's nuclear program.
- more -
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-holds-historic-meeting-with-irans-fm/1758055.html
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made history Thursday, holding one-on-one nuclear talks with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Their meeting in New York was the highest-level talks between U.S. and Iranian officials since the Islamic revolution of 1979, when American hostages were seized and diplomatic ties came to a standstill.
Kerry said he was pleased to see Zarif come to New York to meet with the major world powers. He said Zarif put some "possibilities" on the table.
Before his separate meeting with Kerry, Zarif met with foreign ministers from the five permanent U.N. Security Council members and Germany about Iran's nuclear program.
- more -
http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-holds-historic-meeting-with-irans-fm/1758055.html
United States And Iran Meet Face-to-Face At Highest Level In Decades
By Hayes Brown
UNITED NATIONS — Amid signs of a possible thaw in relations between the United States and Iran, Thursday saw the highest-level meeting between the two adversaries in decades.
The meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif came during a previously scheduled ministerial engagement between the P5+1 — composed of France, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, and the U.S. — over Iran’s nuclear program. It was only on Monday that it was announced that Zarif would also be present at the meeting. According to reports and photographs from inside the room, not only did Kerry and Zarif shake hands, but the men were seated directly next to each other as the discussions went on.
Secretary Kerry told reporters afterwards that Zarif was “very different in tone and very different in the vision he held out with respect to the possibilities of the future.” The two met on the sidelines after the full meeting had concluded, Kerry said, to explore further just how to proceed so that all the outstanding questions about Iran’s nuclear program could be answered.
“Needless to say, one meeting and change in tone — which is welcome — doesn’t answer those questions yet,” he warned. “There’s a lot of work to be done. .. But I think all of us were pleased the Foreign Minister came today, that he did put some possibilities on the table, now its up to people to do the hard work of trying to fill what out the possibilities will do.”
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/09/26/2665921/united-states-and-iran-meet-face-to-face-for-first-time-in-decades/
By Hayes Brown
UNITED NATIONS — Amid signs of a possible thaw in relations between the United States and Iran, Thursday saw the highest-level meeting between the two adversaries in decades.
The meeting between Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif came during a previously scheduled ministerial engagement between the P5+1 — composed of France, Russia, China, Germany, Britain, and the U.S. — over Iran’s nuclear program. It was only on Monday that it was announced that Zarif would also be present at the meeting. According to reports and photographs from inside the room, not only did Kerry and Zarif shake hands, but the men were seated directly next to each other as the discussions went on.
Secretary Kerry told reporters afterwards that Zarif was “very different in tone and very different in the vision he held out with respect to the possibilities of the future.” The two met on the sidelines after the full meeting had concluded, Kerry said, to explore further just how to proceed so that all the outstanding questions about Iran’s nuclear program could be answered.
“Needless to say, one meeting and change in tone — which is welcome — doesn’t answer those questions yet,” he warned. “There’s a lot of work to be done. .. But I think all of us were pleased the Foreign Minister came today, that he did put some possibilities on the table, now its up to people to do the hard work of trying to fill what out the possibilities will do.”
- more -
http://thinkprogress.org/security/2013/09/26/2665921/united-states-and-iran-meet-face-to-face-for-first-time-in-decades/
Updated to add:
Remarks After the P-5+1 Ministerial on Iran
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 26, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: First of all, I think you’ve heard some of the other ministers. We had a constructive meeting, and I think all of us were pleased that Foreign Minister Zarif came and made a presentation to us, which was very different in tone and very different in the vision that he held out with respect to possibilities of the future.
I have just met with him now on a side meeting, which we took a moment to explore a little further the possibilities of how to proceed based on what President Obama laid out in his speech to the General Assembly earlier this week. And so we’ve agreed to try to continue a process that we’ll try to make concrete, to find a way to answer the questions that people have about Iran’s nuclear program.
Needless to say, one meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn’t answer those questions yet, and there’s a lot of work to be done. So we will engage in that work, obviously, and we hope very, very much – all of us – that we can get concrete results that will answer the outstanding questions regarding the program. But I think all of us were pleased that the Foreign Minister came today, that he did put some possibilities on the table. Now it’s up to people to do the hard work of trying to fill out what those possibilities could do.
Finally, let me just say that prior to this meeting, I was pleased to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and we did reach agreement with respect to the resolution. We’re now doing the final work of pulling that language together, but it’s our hope that that process between the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations and its resolution can now move forward and give life, hopefully, to the removal and destruction of chemical weapons from Syria.
Thank you all very, very much.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/09/214827.htm
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
New York City
September 26, 2013
SECRETARY KERRY: First of all, I think you’ve heard some of the other ministers. We had a constructive meeting, and I think all of us were pleased that Foreign Minister Zarif came and made a presentation to us, which was very different in tone and very different in the vision that he held out with respect to possibilities of the future.
I have just met with him now on a side meeting, which we took a moment to explore a little further the possibilities of how to proceed based on what President Obama laid out in his speech to the General Assembly earlier this week. And so we’ve agreed to try to continue a process that we’ll try to make concrete, to find a way to answer the questions that people have about Iran’s nuclear program.
Needless to say, one meeting and a change in tone, which was welcome, doesn’t answer those questions yet, and there’s a lot of work to be done. So we will engage in that work, obviously, and we hope very, very much – all of us – that we can get concrete results that will answer the outstanding questions regarding the program. But I think all of us were pleased that the Foreign Minister came today, that he did put some possibilities on the table. Now it’s up to people to do the hard work of trying to fill out what those possibilities could do.
Finally, let me just say that prior to this meeting, I was pleased to have a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and we did reach agreement with respect to the resolution. We’re now doing the final work of pulling that language together, but it’s our hope that that process between the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations and its resolution can now move forward and give life, hopefully, to the removal and destruction of chemical weapons from Syria.
Thank you all very, very much.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/09/214827.htm
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More tweets
Hassan Rouhani@HassanRouhaniFollow
Joining P5+1 FMs, John Kerry will meet w/ Iranian FM @JZarif in 1st formal, direct session b/w the countries’ top diplomats since 1979 #UNGA
Joining P5+1 FMs, John Kerry will meet w/ Iranian FM @JZarif in 1st formal, direct session b/w the countries’ top diplomats since 1979 #UNGA
Javad Zarif@JZarifFollow
we have a historic opportunity to resolve the nuclear issue. 5+1 needs to adjust its posture commensurate with the new Iranian approach.
we have a historic opportunity to resolve the nuclear issue. 5+1 needs to adjust its posture commensurate with the new Iranian approach.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/john-kerry-holds-historic-meeting-with-irans-foreign-ministe