Politics

Kerry On Iran Talks: ‘We Are Not Going To Sit At The Negotiating Table Forever’ [VIDEO]

Al Weaver Reporter
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During an update Thursday on ongoing nuclear discussions between the United States and Iran, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. will not “sit at the negotiating table forever” waiting for a deal to be struck.

Kerry told a gaggle of reporters in Vienna, Austria that while they aren’t waiting forever to strike an accord, it would not be worthwhile to get up from the negotiating table “just because the clock strikes midnight.”

JOHN KERRY: Let me assure you we would not be here continuing to negotiate just for the sake of negotiating. We’re here because we believe we are making real progress toward a comprehensive deal. But as I have said many times, and as I discussed with President Obama last night, we are not doing to sit at the negotiating table forever. We also recognize that we shouldn’t get up and leave simply because the clock strikes midnight. And I emphasize, given that the work here is incredibly technical and that the stakes are very, very high, we will not rush and we will not be rushed, and we won’t let ourselves be rushed through any aspect of this. All that we are focused on is the quality of the agreement, and that is what will continue to define our work. If, in the end, we are able to reach a deal, it has to be one that can withstand the test of time. There’s not a test of a matter of days or weeks or months. It’s a test for decades. That’s our goal here.

And the simple fact is that despite all of the progress that we have made, and it’s real, some of the tough issues remain unresolved. We know that difficult decisions don’t become easier over time. And one way or the other, those decisions must be taken very soon. That is precisely why all of our delegations remain hard at work here in Vienna, and it’s why a number of my counterparts returned last night and are here now so that we can continue to push through on the tough issues and, ultimately, see whether or not the good deal that we have been working for so hard is possible to achieve. That’s what we’re working on and that’s what we will continue to work on. Thank you all very much.

ANDREA MITCHELL, NBC NEWS: How long are you willing to stay, Mr. Secretary?

KERRY: I just said, this is not open-ended. President Obama made it very clear to me last night — you can’t wait forever for the decision to be made. We know that. If the tough decisions don’t get made, we are absolutely prepared to call an end to this process. Thank you all very, very much.