WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's nominee for secretary of state testified at his confirmation hearing that the United States must get its fiscal house in order to lead in the world while also discussing Iran, Syria and other issues. Sen. John Kerry, a Democrat, also spoke out strongly Thursday for dealing with climate change, providing food and energy security and humanitarian assistance before members of the Foreign Relations Committee. The committee is expected to approve Kerry's nomination and a full Senate vote was expected Tuesday. The current secretary, Hillary Rodham Clinton, introduced Kerry, calling him “the right choice.” She is stepping down after four years. Faced with Iran's nuclear program, Kerry said the United States will do what it must to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, but he also signaled that diplomacy remains a viable option. The senator said he was hopeful that the U.S. and other nations could make progress on the diplomatic front, but that Tehran needs to relent and agree to intrusive inspections. “If their program is peaceful, they can prove it,” he said. On Syria, Kerry was asked about his outreach to President Bashar Assad, now an international pariah after months of civil war and unending violence against his citizens. Kerry said there was a moment where Syria reached out to the West but that the moment has long passed. “History caught up to us. That never happened. And it's now moot, because he has made a set of judgments that are inexcusable, that are reprehensible, and I think is not long for remaining as the head of state in Syria,” the senator said. “I think the time is ticking.” Sen. John McCain, a leading Republican and a fierce critic of Obama's policy on Syria, said the status quo is unacceptable with the United Nations estimating that 60,000 have been killed and the heavy influx of refugees in Jordan and Turkey. After a recent visit to the refugee camps, McCain warned that Syrians frustrated with the US response will be a recruitment target for extremists. “We can do a lot more without putting American boots on the ground,” McCain said. “Otherwise, we will be judged harshly by history.” Kerry said it was imperative to continue discussions with Russia and others in dealing with Syria but that “I don't have optimism.” Meanwhile, Senator Kerry is to visit Jerusalem and Ramallah in February to examine ways of reviving the peace process, an Israeli daily reported on Friday. Quoting senior Israeli officials, the left-leaning Haaretz said Kerry was interested in visiting as soon as possible, even before a new Israeli government is appointed following Tuesday's general election. They said Kerry, who has not yet formed a peace plan, wants to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas. No date has been set for the visit, but it would happen in February as part of a wider regional tour. A spokesman for Netanyahu's office said he was unaware of any such plans, and the foreign ministry said it had not been approached by the US embassy with such a request. Following this week's election, which saw Netanyahu re-elected by a narrow margin and the centrist Yesh Atid party soar to second place, Kerry saw an opportunity for significant progress in reviving talks, Haaretz said. Earlier this month, deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon met several Kerry aides in Washington who told him the senator was interested in renewing efforts to revive peace talks, one of the officials said. Kerry is not expected to appoint a special peace envoy but will come personally to assess the situation and the likelihood of talks being revived, the paper said. Kerry on Thursday hinted at having a plan for rekindling peace talks, but warned the door for a “two-state solution” could be closing. He said he had “a lot of thoughts” about how to maybe kick-start talks, but refused to say more. —Agencies
