Kerry has surgery to mend broken leg
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – Globe-trotting US diplomat John Kerry on Tuesday underwent surgery to mend a broken leg, with officials saying the operation went well.
Shortly before going under the surgeon’s knife in Boston to fix his right femur, the 71-year-old secretary of state phoned in to address a high-level conference in Paris he had planned to attend in person.
Kerry broke his leg during a cycling accident in the Alps at the weekend and was flown back to the United States on board a C-17 military plane having canceled planned trips to Spain and France.
He told leaders from the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group meeting in Paris that they remained “the best hope of defeating” the militants also known as Daesh.
“Daesh is a resilient and utterly ruthless foe that has weaknesses and can be defeated,” Kerry said.
“One way is to expose at every opportunity the false nature of Daesh’s claim to be the Islamic State. In reality, Daesh is no more a state than I am a helicopter.”
It remained unclear Tuesday how long Kerry would be out of action as he undergoes treatment, with a number of pressing issues already piling up in his in-tray.
“Secretary Kerry is resting and in good condition after doctors set his broken leg today at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston,” his spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
The operation is believed to have lasted several hours.
White House spokesman John Earnest said Kerry would “approach his recuperation and rehabilitation with uncommon zeal” and would work to shorten his recovery time.
Earnest said it was “too early” to say “what impact his injury will have” on the ongoing Iran negotiations as a June 30 deadline for a deal reining in its nuclear ambitions looms.
But the White House spokesman said he remained “confident” Kerry would “play a leading role in our efforts to try to complete these negotiations by the end of June.”
The State Department has said Kerry remains focused on the negotiations and intends to be at the negotiating table at the end of the month.
