Monday, March 2, 2015

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As Iran Nuclear Talks Continue, Kerry Defends Israel - New York Times


GENEVA — Secretary of State John Kerry came to the defense of Israel before a United Nations human rights body on Monday, saying that the “unbalanced focus” on Israel was undermining the organization’s credibility.


“It must be said that the H.R.C.’s obsession with Israel risks undermining the credibility of the entire organization,” Mr. Kerry said, using an abbreviation for the Human Rights Council.


The Obama administration has sought in recent days to portray itself as a staunch supporter of Israel’s security, even as it has differed sharply with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the merits of the potential deal that would limit Iran’s nuclear program.


Susan E. Rice, President Obama’s national security adviser, is expected to deliver that message in her appearance on Monday at a conference organized by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.



Mr. Kerry sought to bolster that position in his address, emphasizing that the United States “will oppose any effort by any group or participant in the U.N. system to arbitrarily and regularly delegitimize or isolate Israel.”





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American officials are particularly concerned that a United Nations inquiry into the 2014 conflict in Gaza may be biased and could be used by critics to try to isolate Israel, politically or economically.


“Our hope is that the council will continue to shift its focus away from Israel and really focus on the bad human rights violators throughout the world,” a senior State Department official told reporters on Sunday, referring to nations like Syria and North Korea, which Mr. Kerry has singled out for its “appalling” human rights record.


For all his support of Israel, however, Mr. Kerry warned in a news conference after his speech against selective leaks of the nuclear talks, saying that could complicate unfinished negotiations. Mr. Kerry did not say specifically who he feared might reveal the details, but it seemed clear that he was referring to Mr. Netanyahu and his aides.


After providing his defense of Israel, Mr. Kerry left for Montreux, Switzerland, and a negotiating session with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister.


Iran has yet to respond to questions posed by the International Atomic Energy Agency about suspected work on nuclear weapon designs, Mr. Kerry said, or accept all of the verification measures that would be needed to strictly monitor the accord.


“Iran needs to answer those questions, and Iran needs to give confidence to the world,” Mr. Kerry said.


Sergey V. Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said in his address to the human rights body that the cease-fire in Ukraine was being “consolidated” and that any decision by Western nations to send arms to Ukraine would “disrupt the peace.”


The Obama administration has been weighing whether to send arms to Ukraine to deter Russian-backed separatists and Russian troops from further advances, though the White House appears to have pushed the option to the back burner in recent weeks.


Mr. Kerry said that to avoid further sanctions, Russia must arrange for the separatists to relax their grip on the strategically important town of Debaltseve, which they seized soon after the cease-fire went into effect.


“There has been a kind of cherry picking” by the Russians about what elements of the cease-fire to honor, Mr. Kerry told reporters later in a news conference. “There is not yet a full cease-fire.”


Mr. Kerry said that he had raised his concerns about the seizure of Debaltseve and the presence of Russian-backed separatists near the port city of Mariupol during a morning meeting he held here with Mr. Lavrov at a luxury hotel.


Mr. Kerry said that his Russian counterpart had insisted that the Kremlin intended to honor the cease-fire agreement, which was negotiated last month in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, and would respond to the points the United States had raised.


It is far from clear, however, if this portends progress in defusing the Ukraine conflict. Mr. Kerry told Congress last week that Russian officials had lied about Russia’s involvement in Ukraine “to my face.”


Mr. Kerry declined to say if Mr. Lavrov had responded to those remarks in their private meeting today. But the mood appeared somber at the start of their meeting. Neither Mr. Kerry nor Mr. Lavrov smiled as they shook hands and they appeared impassive as they posed for photos.









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