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U.S. ‘not intimidated’ by ‘barbaric’ IS - Kerry

Arab World Materials 18 November 2014 05:29 (UTC +04:00)
“Let us be clear: We are not intimidated, you are not intimidated, our friends and partners are not intimidated”
U.S. ‘not intimidated’ by ‘barbaric’ IS - Kerry

"Let us be clear: We are not intimidated, you are not intimidated, our friends and partners are not intimidated," Kerry said.

Secretary of State John Kerry issued a warning Monday to "Islamic State" (IS) militants that "we are not intimidated" after another American hostage was killed, Al-Arabiya reported referring to the Associated Press.

Kerry said the brutality of IS and its potential spread worldwide as a key reason, among many, that the United States must remain deeply engaged in the Mideast. He said also defended a leading U.S. role in efforts against IS, saying it had "become a threat to America's core interests."

"This conflict is between civilization itself and barbarism," Kerry told a forum in Washington

He added: "If we don't defeat IS there will be no viable future for the Middle East."

U.S. bombings of IS positions in Syria will continue, he said, adding the world will not bow to the jihadists' strategy of fear.

"Let us be clear: We are not intimidated, you are not intimidated, our friends and partners are not intimidated," Kerry said.

He stressed that failure to defeat IS at its roots could foment chaos for governments and communities a world away from the Middle East.

Left unchecked, Kerry warned that IS could grow worldwide. Already, he said, the IS has seized more land and resources "than al-Qaeda ever had on its best day of its existence."

His comments came right before he headed overseas for nuclear talks with Iran as a Nov. 24 deadline for a deal looms.

Immediately after the speech, Kerry headed to London, where he will hold talks with European and Mideast officials on the Iran negotiations as well as volatile situations in the Mideast.

From London, Kerry will travel to Vienna, where the next round of nuclear talks is set to begin on Tuesday and continue through the week, the State Department says.

Kerry may not take part in all the negotiating sessions in Vienna, and other stops are possible, officials said.

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