Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Past Year Marked Important Democratic Gains In Several Countries Including Sri Lanka: John Kerry

December 30, 2015

“The past year also marked important democratic gains in such countries as Nigeria, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Venezuela” says the US Secretary of State, John Kerry in his Op-Ed “Building on 2015 as We Look Ahead”

John Kerry

We publish below the Op-Ed in full;

One reason for the remarkable record of the New England Patriots is the team’s single-minded focus on the next game. Managing world affairs requires the same concentration on future challenges, for past accomplishments provide no guarantee of continued success. They can, however, lend confidence that, with the right preparation and effort, positive results will follow.

As one year gives way to the next, international leaders have an opportunity to build on several major achievements of 2015.

Of these, none is more important than the recent global agreement in Paris to prevent the most harmful impacts of climate change. Earlier negotiating efforts had failed because of divisions between industrialized and developing nations. By reaching out to China, the world’s leading emitter of greenhouse gases, and by emphasizing the incredible economic potential of clean energy technology, we were able to secure an agreement that sends the right message to all. We have a shared responsibility now to sustain the momentum generated in Paris, so that the targets established there are considered not a ceiling on what we can accomplish, but rather the platform upon which we can make further gains.

In July, the United States and our negotiating partners agreed with Iran on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, a blueprint for blocking all of Iran’s potential pathways to a nuclear weapon. As it agreed to do, Iran has since begun dismantling critical elements of its nuclear facilities and, on December 28, shipped a major portion of its enriched uranium out of the country. That shipment more than triples our previous timeline of two to three months for Iran to acquire enough weapons-grade uranium for one weapon, and is an important piece of the technical equation that ensures an eventual breakout time of at least one year by implementation day. We must continue to monitor implementation of this agreement closely to ensure that the specter of a nuclear-armed Iran is removed as a threat to Middle East security and global peace.

In August, I had the privilege of traveling to Havana to raise the American flag above our embassy for the first time in 54 years. President Obama’s bold decision to normalize diplomatic ties with Cuba reflects both our own national interests and our desire to help the citizens of that country live in a more open and prosperous society. As I walked through the streets of Old Havana, I felt more strongly than ever that we should not allow our continued differences with the Cuban regime to prevent closer engagement with the Cuban people.