White House says bike crash won’t hobble globe-trotting Kerry
Some wonder whether top diplomat’s broken leg will hamper nuclear talks and other diplomatic endeavors
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US Secretary of State John Kerry will fly home for treatment Monday after breaking his leg in a cycling accident in the French Alps, putting America’s chief diplomat temporarily out of commission.
Kerry, 71, a keen cyclist, was hospitalised in the Swiss city of Geneva — where he was meeting his Iranian opposite number Mohammad Javad Zarif — after the accident across the border in the French Alps.
But White House spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki, who used to work for Kerry at the State department, claimed the accident would not slow down the globetrotting envoy, who is leading efforts to reach a landmark nuclear pact with Iran.
“I would love to see anyone at the hospital try to stop John Kerry from negotiating and working while recovering from breaking his leg,” she tweeted.
I would love to see anyone at the hospital try to stop @JohnKerry from negotiating and working while recovering from breaking his leg.
— Jen Psaki NARA (@Psaki44) May 31, 2015
The prospect of a lengthy rehabilitation could hamper the nuclear talks and other diplomatic endeavors. Even if Kerry does not need surgery, it was not immediately known when he could fly again after returning to the United States.
Kerry has been the lead negotiator in several marathon sessions with Iran going back to 2013. The injury could affect other potential missions, such as one to the Cuban capital to raise the flag at a restored US Embassy.
Kerry held talks Saturday in Geneva with his Iranian counterpart Zarif as part of international efforts to secure a nuclear deal ahead of a June 30 deadline.
The talks did not go into a second day as planned after Tehran rejected a key Western demand for site inspections.
There are heightened diplomatic moves to try to end a 12-year international standoff and put a nuclear bomb beyond Iran’s reach.
After the crash, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished Kerry a speedy recovery and hoped he would quickly get “back in the saddle.”
Wishing my friend @JohnKerry a speedy recovery. Hope to see you back in the saddle ASAP.
— Benjamin Netanyahu – בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 31, 2015
During breaks in the marathon negotiations, Kerry has often headed out of his hotel to ride his bike — which he usually brings along on his foreign missions — accompanied by a posse of security guards.
Kerry’s fall happened after he had just set out on a planned ride of one of the stages of the Tour de France, the challenging Col de la Colombiere mountain pass, a local source said.
The top US diplomat, who had been holding talks in Switzerland Saturday on the Iran nuclear crisis, broke his right femur in his fall in the village of Scionzier near Chamonix.
He has had to cancel both a trip to Spain and his attendance at an international meeting in Paris on the crisis over the Islamic State group, State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
He added however that Kerry planned to “remotely” join Tuesday’s Paris talks, which are aimed at reviewing the international coalition’s strategy against the jihadists, who have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
The State Department said Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken will lead the US delegation at the Paris talks instead.
“The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery,” Kirby said in a statement earlier Sunday.
Kerry was initially expected to return to the United States on Sunday evening, but the State Department later announced the flight had been postponed.
“The Secretary had planned on flying back to the US this evening, but after further consultation it was sensible for him to remain in the hospital for observation overnight for purely precautionary measures and fly home tomorrow,” Kirby said.
He added that Kerry was “in great spirits and active”, and had spoken by phone with President Barack Obama.
Kerry had asked local officials in eastern France’s Haute-Savoie to organize the trip in the beautiful Alpine region.
“He had expressed a wish, a few days ago, to complete a stage of the Tour de France passing through the Col de la Colombiere. The hill is very well-known for its difficulty, and because he loves France and cycling, he decided to climb it on his bicycle,” the local source said.
“He fell accidentally, like all other cyclists have at some point.”
The Times of Israel Community.