Former US envoy hails Zarif as a skilled diplomat respected by all

The Former US envoy to the United Nations Thomas Pickering hailed the new Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as a skilled diplomat respected by all who could use his insight and experiences to tackle the existing problems.

Talking to IRNA, he said despite pressures exerted by the extremist members of the US Congress, President Barack Obama believes in working out a win-win strategy with regards to Iran’s nuclear issue.
Referring to the composition of the new Iranian cabinet, he said President Hassan Rohani’s appointments have given a fresh chance to diplomacy to move onward, having created positive capacities in the US Secretary of State John Kerry and his team working on Iran.
On the views expressed by President Rohani on Iran’s foreign policy, Pickering said his remarks on talks with Washington and the ways to settle the existing disputes with the US were quite remarkable especially when he said Tehran was ready to remove international concerns about its nuclear program while safeguarding its national interests.
He hoped that the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting would serve as an opportunity for Iranian and US leaders to hear the views of the other party.