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Kerry
and Zarif Meet
on Nuclear and
ISIL,
"Separate
& Apart"
Per US
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 21
-- When US
Secretary of
State John
Kerry met his
Iranian
counterpart
Javad Zarif at
the Waldorf
Astoria Hotel
in Manhattan
on September
21, ISIL and
the nuclear
issue were
"separate and
apart,"
according to
the US
readout.
A senior US
State
Department
official
provided this
on background:
"Secretary
Kerry and
Foreign
Minister Zarif
met for over
an hour at the
Waldorf
Astoria today.
They met
one-on-one
first, and
then were
joined by
Deputy
Secretary
Burns and
Under
Secretary
Sherman on the
US side and
Deputy FM
Araghchi and
Deputy FM
Ravanchi on
the Iranian
side. They
spent time
reviewing the
status of the
EU-led P5+1
negotiations
on Iran's
nuclear
program. They
discussed both
the progress
that has been
made and the
work that
still needs to
be done.
Secretary
Kerry noted
that this week
is an
opportunity to
make
additional
progress and
stressed that
it is our
intention to
do so.
Separate and
apart from the
nuclear issue,
they also
discussed the
threat posed
by ISIL.
Going forward,
the Secretary
and Foreign
Minister Zarif
agreed to meet
further as
needed while
in New York
this week."
Back
on August 29
the US
announced new
Iran-related
sanctions. It
targeted among
others banks,
including
Tajikistan-based
Kafolatbank,
“owned by
Sarmayeh Bank,
which was
identified as
an Iranian
financial
institution by
the U.S.
Department of
the Treasury
in July 2012.”
On August 30,
Iranian
president
Hassan Rouhani
held a lengthy
press
conference in
Tehran, saying
on this that
of the P5+1
group the
other country
whose good
will is in
doubt is the
United States.
He denounced
the sanctions
and said it is
unclear if
he'll go to
the UN General
Assembly week
in New York or
to the
“environmental
meeting” just
before it. If
not, Foreign
Minister Zarif
will lead the
delegation.
Journalist
Jason Rezaian
was asked
about, but the
question was
not answered.
The Free
UN Coalition
for Access
believes it should
be, as
other press
freedom
questions
should not go
UNaddressed.
We'll
continue to
follow this.
Watch
this site.
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