http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=3D2006%5C11%5C13%5Cstory_13-1=
1-2006_pg4_17
Israel could strike Iran=E2=80=99s nuclear assets
* Ehud Olmert claims Iranian president is ready to commit war crimes
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has implied in an
interview that Israel may take unilateral action to disable Iran=E2=80=99s
nuclear programme since Tel Aviv views it as a direct threat to its
security.
In an interview with Lally Weymouth of the Washington Post published on
Sunday, Olmert was asked if regime change was the only way to stop
Iran. He replied, =E2=80=9CI can think of many different measures. The
guideline has to be that this government and the people of Iran must
understand that if they do not accept the request of the international
community, they=E2=80=99re going to pay dearly.=E2=80=9D Pressed further an=
d asked
direct if he would not rule out a =E2=80=9Cmilitary option,=E2=80=9D the Is=
raeli
prime minister said, =E2=80=9CI think my words were clear enough.=E2=80=9D
Pressed further and asked if Israel would consider taking military
action in case the international community does not act, Olmert said,
=E2=80=9CIt is absolutely intolerable for Israel to accept the threat of a
nuclear Iran. I prefer not to discuss the Israeli options. Israel has
many options.=E2=80=9D
The Israeli leader who meets President George Bush here this week, when
asked how he sees the =E2=80=9Cthreat posed by Iran,=E2=80=9D replied, =E2=
=80=9CThis is
the first time in many years that the official leader of a major nation
with more than 70 million citizens has talked publicly and officially
of the liquidation of another nation that is a member of the United
Nations. Ahmadinejad is a man who is ready to commit crimes against
humanity, and he has to be stopped. When Hitler began to talk about the
liquidation of the Jewish race, people heard it. But they hardly did
anything to stop it. And then for generations, nations and leaders had
to explain why they didn=E2=80=99t speak up. So we have to have a world
campaign to emphasise the moral commitment that no one will be able to
ignore what he says and what the possible ramifications may be.=E2=80=9D
Olmert continued, =E2=80=9CThere is also the process of negotiations. My
position is clear: if there can be a compromise that will stop Iran
short of crossing the technological threshold that will lead them into
nuclear capabilities, we will be for such a compromise. But I don=E2=80=99t
believe that Iran will accept such compromise unless they have a very
good reason to fear the consequences of not reaching it. In other
words: Iran must start to fear.=E2=80=9D
Asked if he would talk to President Bush about Iran, he answered that
Bush is =E2=80=9Cthe last person on earth who needs to be reminded of what
should be done to stop Iran.=E2=80=9D
He added that if there is one person he can trust, it=E2=80=99s him. =E2=80=
=9CI
trust his moral integrity, I trust his moral commitment and I trust his
determination,=E2=80=9D he told his interviewer.
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