Dubai: US Secretary of State John Kerry cut short a trip to Europe to return home to Boston after breaking his right thigh bone in a bicycling accident yesterday in eastern France.
The accident came as the US, led by Kerry, five other world powers and Iran have resumed efforts to reach a nuclear accord before a June 30 deadline.
The prospect of a lengthy rehabilitation could hamper the nuclear talks and other diplomatic endeavours.
The injury “could slightly affect the talks between Iran and the US,” Musaib Al Nuaimi, Editor in Chief of Iran’s Al Wefaq newspaper, told Gulf News.
Al Nuaimi added that the delay could be due to the need to appoint a representative to the talks on his behalf.
“The American side will delegate someone for the talks, or Kerry himself will participate in the talks, but I don’t think the injury will halt the talks and I don’t think that there is a wish to extend the deadline,” he told Gulf News.
The top US diplomat met with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, for about six hours in Geneva on Saturday.
The pair’s next meeting was expected to be in about two weeks, which would give Kerry some time to recover from his injury. Technical experts will hold meetings in the meantime, starting in Vienna within a few days.
Kerry fell from his bike, apparently after hitting a kerb along the roadside near the town of Scionzier, a State Department official said on condition of not being further identified. Kerry, 71, was transported about 40km by medical helicopter to University Hospital in Geneva, where his injury was evaluated.
“Given the injury is near the site of his prior hip surgery, he will return to Boston today to seek treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital with his doctor who did the prior surgery,” John Kirby, a State Department spokesman, said in a statement. “The secretary is stable and never lost consciousness, his injury is not life-threatening, and he is expected to make a full recovery.”
Kerry had asked local officials in eastern France’s Haute-Savoi to organise the trip in the beautiful Alpine region.
“He had expressed a wish, a few days ago, to complete a stage of the Tour de France passing through the Col de la Colombiere. The hill is very well-known for its difficulty, and because he loves France and cycling, he decided to climb it on his bicycle,” the local source said.
Kerry had been scheduled to fly to Madrid yesterday. He was also scheduled to meet with other members of the coalition against Daesh tomorrow in Paris. Kerry plans to take part in the Paris meeting “remotely,” Kirby said. — Agencies
— With inputs from Jumana
Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
