European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (L) smiles next to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva November 24, 2013. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - When U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wrapped his arm around Catherine Ashton as they boarded his plane on Sunday after they clinched a breakthrough nuclear deal with Iran in Geneva, it capped a turnaround in her career as Europe's top diplomat.
Insiders say Ashton, a one-time second-tier British politician whose surprise elevation to European Union foreign policy chief in 2009 was greeted with condescension, managed to exceed expectations as shepherd of the six global powers that agreed with Iran on Sunday to curb its nuclear programme.
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