(MENAFN- The Peninsula) U S Secretary of State John Kerry quietly cautioned Israel not to undercut Iran nuclear negotiations that resumed yesterday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to make the case against his diplomacy before the US Congress.
Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held the first of what could amount to three days of meetings in the Swiss lakeside town of Montreux about restraining the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
The two men, along with US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and Iranian atomic energy chief Ali Akbar Salehi, shook hands and then met for about 50 minutes late on Monday afternoon.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva before the meeting, Kerry struck a balance between defending Israel before the U N Human Rights Council, which Washington has long accused of anti-Israel bias, and also suggesting the Israelis not undermine the talks.
"We are concerned by reports that suggest selective details of the ongoing negotiations will be discussed publicly in the coming days," he said, apparently alluding to Netanyahu's planned speech to US lawmakers.
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