Olmert welcomes Iran decision

Acting prime minister welcomes decision to refer Iran to Security Council over its nuclear program; says Israel played significant role in diplomatic activity concerning Tehran

Ronny Sofer
Published: 02.05.06, 12:37 / Israel News

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday welcomed the International Atomic Energy Agency's decision to refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council over its nuclear program.

Speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting, Olmert said the Security Council would demand that Iran pay a heavy price for developing nuclear weapons.

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"Some of these plans will develop into a threat and they must be stopped beforehand," he added.

"This last week has seen important political and diplomatic activities aimed at halting Iran's nuclear program, before these plans develop into a real threat to world peace and the State of Israel's wellbeing," Olmert said.

Bush's remarks welcomed

He noted two important dramatic developments on the issue.

"The first is the IAEA's decision, which is a result of complex and multiple efforts in which Israel took a significant part, in a bid to eventually present Iran with a very high price tag, should it stick to its plans, attempt to enrich uranium and implement the option of building unconventional weapons," Olmert said.

"In addition, there was another very important development in the remarks made by U.S. President George W. Bush that his country would rise to defend Israel militarily, if needed, against the threat posed by Iran," he added.

Olmert went on to thank Bush for his remarks.

"I thank the U.S. president for his ongoing commitment to Israel's safety. We will certainly continue with the political effort while taking all the necessary steps in order to create a situation in which there will be no possibility to hurt Israel's deterrence ability, as well as maintaining our ability to defend ourselves," Olmert said.

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