Press TV has conducted an interview with Franklin Lamb, an international lawyer, about the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and six major world powers.What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV:Mr. Lamb, first of all, how are you interpreting this move by the US Secretary of State John Kerry just after his talks in Tel Aviv with Netanyahu, he is heading to Geneva and now these comments, a lot of anger from Netanyahu?
Lamb:Yes. Well, of course, he is going there because it is important. What he was doing in holding the hand of Netanyahu isnt really that very important because twenty years of peace process is zero. What they are going to do this time is zero but what could happen in Switzerland with the Iranians and the Americans and the P5+1, this could be historic. This could be the breakthrough.
No one doubted that Netanyahu would react this way, calling it a historic mistake, catastrophic, but I remind you and since this is a family program, we have to watch our language but remember what John Kerry said about Netanyahu six months ago. He said he is a pain in the ... you know, so he is and he is on the wrong side of history. Progress is moving forward, the Americans want a deal, the Iranians and both of their allies except Israel want a deal.
Hopefully, hopefully, there will be something significant to reverse three decades of negativism between Washington and Tehran and they can do it because history shows. Remember in 2002 with Afghanistan. Look who made a deal? The Americans and the Iranians.
So they are capable and this is important. So I think all the worlds eyes are on it, Switzerland, were hopeful, were encouraged and no one cares very much what Netanyahu is saying. He has no credibility in this region, he has almost no credibility in America. So I am not concerned about that.
Press TV:Well, you see, we are hearing about sanctions being discussed in the US Congress, Mr. Lamb, and the fact that Kerry was meeting Netanyahu, was in Tel Aviv, was seen by some as America trying to appease Israel at the same time that it is talking to Iran.
Do you think that with these comments we just heard from Netanyahu and Kerry heading to Geneva in a move that it is quite surprising for many, that this shows that the United States we can interpret this as meaning the United States is backing away from its stance in support of Israel at least when it comes to its policies on Iran?
Lamb:Absolutely and it is not loose in one sense.
This has been going on for some while and of course the American administration for you know better than I do, given our political system currently, doesnt mean it is always going to be this way but the power of the Zionist make the White House have to genuflect and kowtow publically but privately I think the American position is close to the Iranian position and certainly nowhere near the Zionist position on this.
The reason Netanyahu is so upset, he knows this isnt a problem for Israel but he wants to make sure that the trend in the Middle East is in favor of Israel and not the Islamic Republic or Syria or even, for that matter, the Americans.
So I think it is expected that the key will be if there is a breakthrough and if there is not you can imagine what Netanyahu is going to say, I told you so, I told you so.
But I from the signs and none of us knows that something concrete is going to come out of this and the idea that well the Congress is ready to apply sanctions, that is not true.
They are ready in the face of no oppositions, serious, but if the White House backs this and Kerry backs this and Hagel, there will be a fight in the Congress and I think the same way that the Republicans who asked recently in the elections and on the Obamacare, they are going to lose on this issue if they press for increased sanctions because they have put some out of touch with the American people and the people who elect them; and increasing most important sign in American politics is the rise of the Liberals.
Look what happened in Michigan in Dearborn, majority on the city council are Muslims and two, half of them, fifty percent of the four that were elected, they are Shia. So things are changing. Hopefully there wont be a war before these historic forces coalesce and change the situation in the Middle East and it will be for the betterment of the Jews, for the Americans and all people of goodwill.
By Press TV
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