Local Editor
The Zionist prime minister’s decision to accept the U.S. House Speaker’s invitation to address Congress was a “breach of protocol,” the White House said Wednesday.
U.S. House Speaker John Boehner announced that he had invited PM Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of Congress next month, ahead of the deadline for the Obama administration and world powers to reach a political framework with Iran on its nuclear program in March.
The White House was notified shortly before Boehner’s announcement which White House press secretary Josh Earnest termed “interesting.”
“The typical protocol would suggest that the leader of a country would contact the leader of another country when he’s traveling there. That certainly is how President [Barack] Obama’s trips are planned when he travels overseas. This particular event seems to be a departure from that protocol,” he said.
“It seems clear that Republicans want Netanyahu to add pressure on the administration to apply a new round of sanctions against Iran, something Obama wants to delay,” Earnest said.
Secretary of State John Kerry was asked about Netanyahu’s visit during a Washington press conference with European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.
“We welcome the prime minister of Israel to come and speak in America any time,” Kerry said but added that the method of invitation was “a little unusual.”
He acknowledged that the main reason behind the invitation was to place pressure on the administration concerning Iran, however, he said despite differences in tactics, the administration and Congress have a common goal to prevent Iran having a nuclear weapon.
During his State of the Union address Tuesday, Obama said if Congress passes new sanctions against Tehran in the midst of nuclear negotiations he would use his veto power.
Source: Al-Manar
