COLUMN-Doubts about Obama's authority to close Iran deal: Kemp
   Text Size   Published: Thursday, 21 Nov 2013 | 6:48 AM ET By:
John Kemp  LONDON, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Before sitting down to
negotiate with someone, make sure they have the authority to
deliver their side of the deal. It is one of the cardinal rules
for negotiating successfully.  For one side to be confident
enough to make concessions, it must know the reciprocal
concessions offered by the other will be honoured and additional
demands will not be made at the last minute altering the
delicate balance of compromise.  In the run-up to the last round
of nuclear negotiations in Geneva, there was much speculation
about whether Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and
President Hassan Rouhani had the necessary authority to reach an
interim deal, or whether it would have to be referred back to
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and then blocked if they made too
many concessions.  In the event, it was U.S. President Barack
Obama and Secretary of State J