Senate moves toward passing new Iran sanctions, as Graham offers deal on nuclear pact vote

FILE: Oct. 14, 2014: Video cameras at a news conference between EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Vienna. (REUTERS)

South Carolina GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that he would set aside efforts to impose more sanctions on Iran if President Obama allows Congress to vote on a final deal with that country over its nuclear program.

“I’m willing to forgo that vote with the understanding that any deal he negotiates will come to the Congress for our approval or disapproval as a check and balance,” Graham said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Imposing sanctions on Iran to force the country to curtail its nuclear enrichment program, presumably to build a nuclear weapon, has bipartisan support in Congress.

This weekend, Senate staffers confirmed with Fox News some details about upcoming legislation sponsored by Illinois GOP Sen. Mark Kirk and New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, members of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

They said the legislation supports international negotiations with Iran, provides a diplomatic insurance policy if the talks fail and that no new sanctions will be imposed if a deal is reached.

The committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on possible new penalties against Tehran, amid calls from President Obama for Congress to wait as negotiations near two key deadlines.  

The United States and five other world powers are trying to reach a framework agreement with Iran by March and hope to complete a longer-term deal by June 30 that would limit Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon.

Iran says its program is for peaceful purposes.

Secretary of State John Kerry has stepped up talks with Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, and they may hold further discussions this week when both are expected to attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.

Graham described congressional efforts as signaling to the Iranians that “we would like a political negotiation, a diplomatic solution. But please understand in Iran that the Congress is intent on reapplying sanctions if you walk away from the negotiating table and if you cheat.”

Graham also said: “I don’t think that’s a disruptive message.”

White House adviser Dan Pfeiffer told NBC that Graham “would like to make all the foreign policy decisions of the United States and be commander in chief. … It’s the president’s authority.”

Pfeiffer added, “It does not make any sense for Congress to scuttle that deal … because that would put America in a bad place, not just in dealing with Iran but with the world.”

The White House will continue to consult with Congress, he said.

Obama said at a news conference Friday that imposing new sanctions probably would doom the nuclear negotiations and heighten prospects of a military showdown. “Just hold your fire,” the president pleaded to Congress, while also issuing the veto threat.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who was visiting Washington last week, said he was calling senators to convey the message that new penalties would hurt international unity.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Senate moves toward passing new Iran sanctions, as Graham offers deal on nuclear pact vote

Passing IMF tests creates economic stability - Finance Minister

Saturday, September 27, 2014 | 7:06 AM    

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Peter Phillips, says that passing the International Monetary Fund (IMF) tests creates stability in the Jamaican economy.

According to Dr Phillips passing the tests means that Jamaica is meeting its targets in instituting key economic reforms, enabling the country to draw-down on funds to promote growth and employment.

Dr Phillips, who was speaking in an interview with JIS News, acknowledged that there are difficulties, but noted that, “I can tell you if we were not passing these tests, life would be tremendously worse.

He said that before Jamaica successfully negotiated the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the IMF financing from external entities and investments were low.

“Since then, we’ve had in excess of a billion US (United States) dollars worth of private investments, we’ve had access to loan funds, we have been able to build up our reserves so that if there is a hurricane or crisis of some other sort, we would be able to deal with it,” Dr Phillips explained.

Jamaica has so far successfully passed all five IMF tests under the four-year EFF with the multilateral agency as part of its Economic Reform Programme.

He said that in excess of 30,000 jobs have been added to the economy in the past year, mostly in the areas of tourism, information and communications technology, and agriculture, which mainly benefitted persons in rural parishes.

He said that efforts are being placed on creating more jobs, especially in other sectors, to benefit more Jamaicans.

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Passing IMF tests creates economic stability - Finance Minister

Schafer gets passing grade from local colleagues

NEW German coach Winfried Schafer once again came in for high praises, while the Reggae Boyz were hit

hard for their lack of commitment and cohesiveness by local coaches Calvert Fitzgerald and Jerome Waite.Jamaica battled to a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica and are still rooted to the bottom of the hexagonal with four points with only a mathematical chance of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Finals.Both Costa Rica, on 15 points, and leaders USA with 16 points following their 2-0 blanking of Mexico, have secured their berths to Brazil 2014.Honduras, on 11 points, are out of the Reggae Boyz’s reach, but both Panama and Mexico on eight points each, are in sight for that fourth play-off spot.Veteran coach Calvert Fitzgerald, the man in charge of Rivoli United, believes Schafer’s counter-attacking tactic was the best suited for the occasion, contrary to popular belief that a desperate all-out attack for maximum points would be the ideal thing.“We started slowly and were playing on the break and I didn’t have a problem with it. Costa Rica being at the head of the table going to the World Cup at this stage must have been a very good team, so I didn’t expect us to come and play open football against them,” argued Fitzgerald.“Being that Costa Rica is a good attacking team, if we could catch them on the break, then I thought that was our only chance of victory,” he pointed out.“If we had played open football they could have burnt us because they have some extremely quick and skilful players in attack. So we had to hold, it wasn’t the prettiest idea, but we had to try to catch them on the counter,” he reiterated.“I thought the plan worked to near perfection except that a most unfortunate mistake by the goalkeeper cost us. We finally got the goal that we wanted but we had let in a goal,” Fitzgerald added.He pointed out that despite Jamaica’s gloomy position, a draw against Costa Rica, can be seen as a positive in light of the fact that it was the top team in the group versus the bottom-placed team.“So to get a point from that team must mean that we are doing something better than we were doing before. Had we had this form from the beginning of the hexagonal round maybe we would be right up there with the top teams,” said Fitzgerald.Meanwhile, Waite, the coach of Charlie Smith High School, puts the blame on the players for Jamaica’s current predicament.“The time that the coach get the team we can’t expect any miracle. But the present crop of players are not playing a system, but individuals doing their own things,” said Waite, who led Arnett Gardens to back-to-back Premier League titles in 2001 and 2002.“In the defensive third, the workload will be a lot cause they spend more time defending while in the midfield (and) there are so much room for improvement there. They are playing in spurts and not playing cohesively as a unit, while upfront, I can’t find a word for it, but it’s one of our downfalls. There is no teamwork, we are not working together collectively… the transition is too slow,” emphasised Waite.He added that “there is too much room for improvement” knowing that the players are professionals and “I have to wonder, what they are really doing at the professional level,” he said.“This coach has not been given the opportunity to spend time to work with the players. He has the knowledge towards the game he knows what a system is all about and the little time that he is here he knows that Jamaica cannot play the 4-4-2 format,” said Waite.“So he took the time out, analysed the individuals and made the adjustment and played three in front of the goal, compact the midfield and find two players who hopefully can get the job done,” he noted.Reggae Boyz striker Marlon King (left) gets by Costa Rica’s Christian Gamboa during their World Cup qualifying match at the National Stadium on Tuesday night. The game ended 1-1. (PHOTO: GARFIELD ROBINSON)

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Schafer gets passing grade from local colleagues

JNA president expresses regret at passing of Isbeth Bernard

Sport

Friday, July 19, 2013

THE President of the Jamaica Netball Association (JNA) Marva Bernard has said that the death of long-time JNA associate Isbeth Bernard has come as great shock to her and leaves her deeply saddened.Bernard, who died in hospital two days ago after a short illness, was a member of the JNA Leagues and Technical Committees for more than two decades. She kept statistics for the association and attended almost all of the international tours by the national teams. “I know for a fact that she intended to be at the World Youth Netball Championship in Scotland next month,” the JNA president said.“Isbeth served the JNA well. She was good at what she did and the JNA came to rely on her skills without question.“She will be hard to replace and on behalf of the JNA and the netball fraternity in general, I wish to express sincere condolences to Isbeth’s family, friends and associates.“May her soul rest in peace.”

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JNA president expresses regret at passing of Isbeth Bernard