[ti:Who Controls US Foreign Policy Congress or the President] [ar:Christopher Jones-Cruise] [al:In The News] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]An open letter to Iran by 47 Republican members [00:05.04]of the United States Senate released Monday [00:07.94]started a heated debate this week. [00:10.51]The question was: Who controls foreign policy -- [00:15.23]Congress or the president? [00:17.78]The letter warned Iran that any deal [00:22.13]over its disputed nuclear program [00:24.74]with the Obama administration could be overturned. [00:28.58]It said that the next U.S. president [00:32.37]"could revoke such an executive agreement" [00:35.72]and "future Congresses could modify the terms [00:39.75]of the agreement at any time." [00:41.77]Without congressional approval, [00:44.19]the letter said, the agreement would be only an executive agreement. [00:49.21]Lawmakers signing the letter [00:51.99]included all but seven of the Republican Party's [00:55.32]54-member majority in the U.S. Senate. [00:58.74]They noted that President Barack Obama [01:02.11]was leaving office in less than two years, [01:05.00]as required by the Constitution. [01:07.60]Many of them, they said, might still be in office for many years. [01:12.85]Historically, presidents and Congress [01:16.95]have argued over their constitutional powers to control foreign policy. [01:22.52]Thomas Fleming is a historian who writes about American history. [01:28.47]He says America's first president had a strong opinion [01:33.85]on the responsibility of the executive branch in foreign policy. [01:38.47]"Washington's presidency was the strong president personified. [01:43.71]He was barely in the chair of the presidency more than a few days [01:47.61]and he wrote a letter to all the nations of Europe saying [01:50.88]¡®if you want to communicate with the United States of America, [01:54.58]write a letter to me, George Washington, not to the Congress.'" [01:59.31]President Obama criticized the letter to Iran on Monday. [02:03.93]A spokesman for the president, Josh Earnest, [02:07.40]told reporters the letter was an attempt [02:10.58]to slow down the sensitive negotiations. [02:13.56]The U.S. and five other world powers [02:17.31]are trying to reach a basic agreement with Iran. [02:20.79]The goal is to persuade Iran to give up its program [02:26.51]to develop nuclear weapons in return for easing of international sanctions. [02:32.40]Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky [02:36.89]was one of the lawmakers to sign the letter. [02:39.95]He defended it, saying he did not know [02:44.13]why the administration wanted to keep Congress [02:47.40]out of the emerging deal with Iran. [02:49.90]He said it was clear that the president [02:52.72]did not want Congress to have a part in a deal [02:56.53]that could have a big effect on U.S. national security. [03:00.87]The letter brought strong reactions [03:03.91]from former and current diplomatic officials. [03:07.03]Democrat Hillary Clinton has served as both a U.S. senator [03:11.71]and a U.S. secretary of state. [03:14.49]She said the letter was out of step with the best traditions of the Senate. [03:20.55]U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday [03:24.87]that the letter left him in "disbelief." [03:28.25]"This risks undermining the confidence [03:31.56]that foreign governments in thousands of important agreements [03:35.48]commit to between the United States and other countries. [03:39.21]And it purports to tell the world [03:41.51]that if you want to have any confidence in your dealings with America [03:44.23]they have to negotiate with 535 members of Congress." [03:47.70]Not all Republican Senators agreed with the letter. [03:52.14]Earlier in the week, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker [03:58.11]did not think the letter would help to get a bill [04:01.33]that would require Congress to advise on a possible nuclear deal with Iran [04:06.74]and possibly lifting sanctions at an appropriate time. [04:11.80]And Senator Susan Collins of Maine told VOA [04:15.95]that she did not think the letter was the right thing to do. [04:20.30]Iranian officials also responded to the letter. [04:24.53]Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said [04:29.74]the move showed "disintegration" in U.S. politics. [04:33.63]Iranian Foreign Minister and chief negotiator [04:37.44]Mohammed Javad Zarif dismissed the letter, [04:40.70]saying it was of "no legal value." [04:44.20]Talks are set to restart on Sunday. [04:47.28]Negotiators are seeking to complete the basic deal by the end of March, [04:52.86]with final agreement by the end of June. [04:55.99]Whether the U.S. can reach a nuclear agreement with Iran, [05:01.54]one thing is clear. [05:05.05]The U.S. Constitution states that the President of the United States [05:09.60]"shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, [05:15.05]to make Treaties." [05:16.71]I'm Christopher Jones-Cruise. [05:19.44]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51voa.com