Putin and Ahmadinejad meet
Photo: Reuters
What's the rush?
Why was it so urgent for prime minister Olmert to visit Putin in the Kremlin Thursday?
An Israeli reader would be surprised: The Iran Daily newspaper published in Teheran covered on Wednesday the summit of five Caspian Sea nations. According to the main story, Ahmadinejad and Putin, along with their three colleagues from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan, signed a declaration against the development and proliferation of nuclear weapons. No less. At the same time, the declaration states that each country has the right to civilian nuclear use for the purpose of producing energy.
If that wasn't enough, the Iran Daily newspaper reported that the joint declaration included an Iranian obligation, along with its Caspian Sea counterparts, to adhere to the United Nations and international law. What's even more surprising for officials in Jerusalem is that Ahmadinejad, who just recently said Israel should be wiped off the map, personally pledged to refrain from being a party to the use of force or threats against other nations. After reading this, perhaps we can better understand Putin, who is also a party to this declaration and announced that his country will continue supporting Iran's nuclear program. Putin believes Ahmadinejad wants nuclear energy, rather than a nuclear bomb.
This is probably what Putin was planning to tell Prime Minister Olmert, who rushed to visit him Thursday. "What do you want? Why doesn't Iran have the right to develop nuclear energy production capabilities? What's wrong with that?"
If Putin intended to hurt his guest, despite the good relationship between the two figures, he may have planned to ask him about Israel's military nuclear problem. If he wanted to be polite, he could Olmert that by building a civilian reactor for the Iranians, instead of the Chinese doing it, for example, he is making sure that Teheran would not build a nuclear bomb in his backyard. Putin repeatedly says that an Iranian bomb is the last thing he wants.
Playing dumb?
Olmert rushed to the Kremlin Thursday morning without the dignity befitting an Israeli leader. He went without thorough preparation, with a small entourage, and without the media accompanying him. He flew to Moscow in a small plane. On the one hand, the Israeli interest in the issue of the Iranian military nuclear program is clear. What isn't clear is the urgency. It is true that President Bush said Wednesday in a White House press conference that an Iranian nuclear bomb may lead to a third world war. However, with all due respect, such hasty trip does not serve the Israeli interest.
After all, Israel repeatedly says that the Iranian nuclear problem is a global one. The American president, the UN, the Quartet, the European Union, and many Western countries view Iranian nukes as a threat. This week, the Council of the European Union discussed this issue and declared that along with attempts to advance a resolution of this crisis through diplomatic means, an effort should be made to tighten economic sanctions against Iran. What can an Israeli prime minister rushing to the Kremlin Thursday change?
Well, Olmert believes Putin is playing dumb, or simply doesn't know what Israel knows. Israel, just like quite a few Western countries that received similar intelligence information, knows that Ahmadinejad wants a nuclear bomb. If you ask Ilan Mizrahi, who heads the National Security Council, he will tell you: "I'm willing to put my integrity and all the experience I accumulated during 30 years of service in the security establishment on the line. They're going for nuclear weapons. Anyone who says otherwise simply doesn’t know, or is playing dumb."
