Olmert: We cannot do it alone
Photo: Gil Yochanan
Bolton slams Iranian 'doublespeak' (Archive photo)
Photo: Reuters
Olmert: Israel needs world to stop Iran
Acting prime minister tells AIPAC conference Israel cannot curb Iranian nuclear threat on its own; American U.N. envoy: The longer we wait, the harder it will be to address Iranian threat
Israel cannot curb the Iranian nuclear threat on its own, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in a satellite speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee Sunday.
Meanwhile, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations on Sunday spoke at the AIPAC conference about the urgent need to confront Iran's "clear and unrelenting drive" for a nuclear weapons program.
Countering Iran cannot be done alone, Olmert told those in attendance as he asked for the international community's help in facing the Iranian threat. The acting prime minister expressed his hope that the world, led by the United States, will impose sanctions on Iran, which he characterized as a threat to the modern world.
Nuke Threat
U.S. Secretary of State says Security Council unlikely to impose Iran sanctions at this stage
'We must not ignore Tehran's refusal'
John Bolton, speaking before a crowd of 4,500 gathered at the Washington conference, said that a failure by the U.N. Security Council to address Iran would "do lasting damage to the credibility of the council."
"The longer we wait to confront the threat Iran poses," Bolton said, "The harder and more intractable it will become to solve."
Iran warned Sunday it will start large-scale uranium enrichment if it is referred to the Security Council because of international concerns over its nuclear program. Iran "must be made aware that if it continues down the path of international isolation, there will be tangible and painful consequences," Bolton said.
The American envoy said Iran has been engaging in "doublespeak" during negotiations. He said that with one voice they say they welcome discussion, but with the other they "are flatly refusing" to give up access to technology and material that would let them have the capability to develop nuclear weapons.
Bolton added, however, that a Russian compromise proposal lets Iran "reap the benefits of civil nuclear power while addressing concerns that they are really pursuing nuclear weapons."
The United States, Bolton said, supports ongoing diplomatic efforts to solve the impasse. "But we must not ignore Tehran's refusal to address the concerns of the international community," he said.
Yitzhak Benhorin contributed to the story
