Vice President Joe Biden, taking a break from talking about shotguns and rummaging for photographs of President Obama replete with eye and ear protection and a side-by-side shotgun at the Camp David skeet range, has recently addressed the possibility of the initiation of direct U.S.-Iran talks. Biden indicated that the talks would only occur if Iran was serious about negotiations. He also noted that the country would face fairly serious sanctions if assurances were not confirmed that the intent of the nuclear program is not to develop weapons.
"But we have also made clear that Iran's leaders need not sentence their people to economic deprivation and international isolation," Biden said. "There is still time, there is still space for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. The ball is in the government of Iran's court." He added, "We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself. That offer stands, but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise."
Thus far, negotiations with Iran have been overseen by the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. She is acting on behalf of the U.S., Britain, Germany, Russia, China and France. Senator John McCain noted that he would have no problem with direct talks, but added, "I don't know when we will have direct talks between the United States and Iran. That is a subject for the president of the United States. I don't think anyone here objects to that."
"But we have also made clear that Iran's leaders need not sentence their people to economic deprivation and international isolation," Biden said. "There is still time, there is still space for diplomacy backed by pressure to succeed. The ball is in the government of Iran's court." He added, "We have made it clear at the outset that we would be prepared to meet bilaterally with the Iranian leadership, we would not make it a secret that we were doing that, we would let our partners know if that occasion presented itself. That offer stands, but it must be real and tangible and there has to be an agenda that they are prepared to speak to. We are not just prepared to do it for the exercise."
Thus far, negotiations with Iran have been overseen by the European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton. She is acting on behalf of the U.S., Britain, Germany, Russia, China and France. Senator John McCain noted that he would have no problem with direct talks, but added, "I don't know when we will have direct talks between the United States and Iran. That is a subject for the president of the United States. I don't think anyone here objects to that."