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                     Kerry, Zarif Launch Third Day of Talks

   by Pamela Dockins

   U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister
   Mohammad Javad Zarif  have launched a third day of nuclear talks, on
   the heels of a Tuesday speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
   Netanyahu who spelled out before the U.S. Congress why he believed an
   Iran nuclear deal would be dangerous for the world.

   Kerry and a four-party delegation that included Under Secretary Wendy
   Sherman and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz exchanged cordial greetings
   with Zarif and his team as the two sides sat down for talks, Wednesday
   morning, in the resort city of Montreux, Switzerland.

   Heading into the meeting, Zarif was asked by reporters if he was
   excited about Wednesday's sessions. He stopped, smiled and shrugged,
   saying: "Are they exciting? Are we supposed to be excited?"

   Tuesday in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said he felt a
   "profound obligation" to speak out about an issue that he believed
   threatened the survival of his country. Addressing a joint meeting of
   Congress, he said an Iran nuclear agreement would be a "bad deal." It
   "doesn't block Iran's path to the bomb, it paves its path to the bomb,"
   he said.

   On Wednesday, the State Department released in statement in which it
   took issue with some of the comments that Netanyahu made about
   Secretary Kerry.

   In his speech, Netanyahu said Kerry had "confirmed" that Iran could
   "legitimately possess" 190,000 centrifuges enriching uranium by the end
   of a long-term nuclear agreement.

   State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said that Kerry, in
   Congressional testimony last month, actually said that if there is a
   civilian power plant that is "producing power legitimately and not a
   threat to proliferation, you could have as many as 190,000 or more
   centrifuges."

   Earlier, President Barack Obama criticized the prime minister's speech
   saying, "there was nothing new" and Netanyahu "didn't offer any viable
   alternatives" as he criticized a potential nuclear deal.

   Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and
   Germany, the so-called P5+1, are working against a self-imposed March
   31 deadline to come up with a framework agreement. They hope to have a
   final deal by July 1.

   World powers are seeking a deal that would limit Iran's uranium
   enrichment levels as part of a plan to keep Tehran from developing
   nuclear weapons.  Iran is seeking an agreement that gives it relief
   from international sanctions.

   According to Iranian state media reports, foreign ministry spokesman
   Marzieh Afkham said Wednesday that Iran would only accept an agreement
   in a "single-stage manner."

   "All details should be clear and it should contain no ambiguities," she
   said.

   Later Wednesday, Kerry travels to Saudi Arabia where he will discuss
   issues including the potential impact of an Iran nuclear deal on Gulf
   states with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-zarif-launch-third-day-of-talks/2667070.html