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Secretary of State John
Kerry waves after speaking to media as he is discharged from Massachusetts
General Hospital Friday, June 12, 2015, in Boston. Kerry was released from the
hospital after undergoing surgery on a broken leg sustained in a May 31 bicycle
accident in France. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was discharged from a
Boston hospital on Friday, 10 days after undergoing surgery on a broken leg he
sustained in a bicycle accident in France, and he declared he had not missed a
tick on key foreign policy issues during his recovery.
Kerry left Massachusetts
General Hospital on crutches but under his own power. He told reporters he
planned to go to his nearby home in the Beacon Hill neighborhood for a few days
before traveling to Washington next week.
AP report continues:
Kerry promised to be
"absolutely, totally and fully engaged" in nuclear negotiations with
Iran, saying he remained confident the June 30 timetable for completing a deal
could be achieved.
He said he expected to
travel overseas to join in the discussions later in the month as they neared a
critical juncture.
"Our team is in
Vienna right now working out very complex ... details of this agreement,"
Kerry said "It's a tough slog. It's not easy."
Kerry was injured May 31
when his bike struck a curb and he fell on a regular Tour de France route
southeast of Geneva. He was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Geneva where
X-rays confirmed the fracture of his right femur.
The former U.S. senator
from Massachusetts was later flown to Boston and underwent a four-hour
operation June 2.
Dr. Dennis Burke, an
orthopedic surgeon, said Kerry's recovery from surgery has been uncomplicated.
"He is ambulating
independently on crutches and working hard with physical therapy toward a full
recovery, which we anticipate will occur in several months' time," Burke
said in a statement.
Kerry said he has been
working the phones and spoke with President Barack Obama and other top
administration officials on Thursday about issues including efforts to help
Iraq stop advances by the Islamic State group.
"We are making some
critical decisions that are going to move the process forward in Iraq," he
said.
"Prime Minister
(Haider) al-Abadi has a plan. We support the plan and were part of the
plan," he added, while also acknowledging that the U.S. could be more
"self-critical" about its role and improve on communications within
the coalition.
The 71-year-old Kerry is
an avid cyclist who often takes his bike with him during overseas trips.
He said while he expects
to remain on crutches for some time he hopes to return to cycling.
"The one big thing I
will tell you about being on my back for a few days is that it gives you time
to think," he said. "It gives you clarity. I've had a lot of time to
think about some of the challenges we face."
White House spokesman
Josh Earnest said Kerry's release indicates his determination to get back to
his office and back to work.
"The truth is he
probably benefited from a little rest when he was in the hospital,"
Earnest said.
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