US Secretary of State John Kerry (left) meets with Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Ardogan in Istanbul over the weekend.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has warned Iran that talks on its nuclear programme cannot last forever, after a new round failed to make progress. “This is not an interminable process,” he said after arriving in Istanbul, at the start of a 10-day trip to the Middle East, Europe and Asia. World powers failed to make headway at two days of talks with Iran in Almaty.
Mr Kerry also called on Turkey and Israel to restore good relations without delay. After Turkey, Mr Kerry is due to visit Israel, the West Bank, the UK, South Korea, China and Japan. Mr Kerry said President Barack Obama was committed to continuing the diplomatic process with Iran despite what he called the complicating factor of elections there in June. “Diplomacy is a painful task,” the secretary of state said, “and a task for the patient.”
No new round of talks was scheduled after the negotiations in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which ended on Saturday. World powers suspect Iran of pursuing a covert nuclear weapons programme. Tehran, which insists its intentions are peaceful, is negotiating with the so-called P5+1 group comprising the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the US, Russia, China, the UK and France – plus Germany.
