John Kerry
Related: About this forumWhat a day this is for Kerry - historic talks with the Iranian FM and agreement on the Syria deal
He must have been incredibly busy and it was a momentous day. It was Kerry and Lavrov who worked out the last problems remaining in the language.
The development was announced after hastily convened talks between the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. If the resolution is adopted, it would be the first legally binding resolution on the Syrian conflict. "
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/26/syria-chemical-weapons-un-resolution
The AP says :
"But the draft resolution, seen by The Associated Press, makes clear that there is no trigger for enforcement measures if Syria fails to comply. Instead, it states that the Security Council will "impose measures under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter," which will require a second resolution.
Chapter 7 allows for military and nonmilitary actions to promote peace and security. Russia, Syria's most powerful ally, had opposed any reference to it. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held hastily scheduled talks Thursday afternoon to resolve several last-minute disputes on the text."
Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/key-powers-agree-on-resolution-aimed-at-eliminating-syria-s-chemical-weapons-1.1472043#ixzz2g3YHPqDs
Then he was part of the group of foreign ministers to meet with the Iranian FM - followed by a one to one meeting - the highest such meeting since 1979.
Iran and the United States held their highest-level substantive talks in a generation on Thursday, saying the tone was positive but sounding cautious about resolving the long-running standoff over Iran's nuclear program.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met after the Iranian held wider talks with the United States and other major powers to address Western suspicions Iran may be trying to develop atomic weapons.
Diplomats from the major countries described the atmosphere of the wider talks in positive terms but they, as well as the U.S. and Iranian foreign ministers, stressed the difficulty of resolving a dispute that has eluded solution for a decade.
"We had a very constructive meeting," Kerry told reporters at the United Nations, where he and Zarif sat next to one another in a gesture that suggested a desire on both sides to explore how to ease their nations' more than three-decade estrangement.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/26/us-un-assembly-iran-idUSBRE98P0XE20130926
Cha
(305,438 posts)He's been great all along, karenVT!
Sounds very busy and productive.. the Kerrys have been through so much healthwise and now it looks like Kerry has all the energy he needs on the world stage.
And, I hope Teresa is doing well too.
karynnj
(59,942 posts)It was great to see that Teresa accompanied her husband to at least one meeting and that she was with Michelle Obama at what had to be one of the coolest events given for the UN wives.
It is great to see the amount of trust that President Obama must have in Kerry. Given that he was essential to the resolution on Syria, it had to be that he was far and away the best person to engage the Iranian foreign minister.
That while Obama lists his two top goals as Iran and the Palestinian/Israeli peace - and Kerry is the at the center for the US on both.
Cha
(305,438 posts)the wives of Heads of State!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/110217133
Yes, PBO knew what he was doing when he nominated Senator Kerry for SOS.. who I believe he wanted from the beginning.
MADem
(135,425 posts)He deserves many, many kudos for all his hard work--this is a huge step forward.
This is just a start--just a beginning. But that IS what it is. So now it's on to Geneva and here's hoping we can move forward with UN inspections and sanctions removal following transparent inspections and actions by Iran.
I never thought we'd see this quite so soon, if ever--it's good news.
karynnj
(59,942 posts)and hopefully, we get past the GOP nonsense on the CR.
sheshe2
(87,525 posts)This is an unprecedented break through that have been stagnant for far to long.
Thanks to SOS Kerry and our President we may very well see progress.
hopefully we will see ones with Obama and Rouhani also.
http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/D7ySdNPWSTB9IYVF5CghGA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MDQ7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/
Inuca
(8,945 posts)BTW, incredible week indeed. Hopefully the ones to come will be equally promising. So many "big" thing happening, and none of them easy.
NBachers
(18,132 posts)wisteria
(19,581 posts)karynnj
(59,942 posts)Let's hope that things continue in the direction they are turning. This last week has seen the fruits of so much hard work by the the Obama administration and the world.
Though not of the same newsworthiness, I am so glad that Teresa was at the UN - participating in events - with Kerry.
karynnj
(59,942 posts)First there was a handshake, then an invitation to talk and finally a 30-minute tete-a-tete that made for the highest-level official meeting between the United States and Iran in more than three decades.
The opportunity for a rare meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, came after talks concluded between Zarif and foreign ministers from the six major powers on resolving Tehrans disputed nuclear program.
At the start of the talks, Kerry and Zarif shook hands, a senior U.S. official told reporters.
<snip>
At the end of the meeting, Kerry seized the opportunity to invite Zarif for private talks, according to the senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Read more: http://forward.com/articles/184622/john-kerrys-shall-we-talk-sparked-iran-thaw/#ixzz2gCse2GsB
karynnj
(59,942 posts)This article is interesting in the level of detail and the fact that it is quite positive.
http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2013_09_27/Historical-encounter-Iranian-FM-Zarif-John-Kerry-meet-at-UN-nuclear-talks-0987/