Iran: Zionist PM admits to nuclear weapons
Iran responds to Olmert's gaffe regarding Israeli nuclear capabilities, government spokesman says 'announcement indicates worrying objectives of Zionist regime and its intention to implement threats against Muslim world'
Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini addressed Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's verbal slip-up regarding Israel's nuclear capabilities, saying Wednesday that "the Zionist prime minister's admission is that they have nuclear military capabilities."
According to Hosseini, this statement "constitutes a real threat to the security and stability of the Middle East…it's proof that Islamic nations in the region are under a security threat."
Iranian news agency IRNA, which reported Hosseini's statement, said that "the announcement indicates the worrying objectives of the Zionist regime and its intention to implement its threats against the Muslim world, to execute an aggressive policy and continue occupation of the region."
"The Security Council, the Islamic Council and other organizations must take real and effective steps to cope with these clear threats," the agency continued.
The spokesman said that western nations "give refuge to the Zionist regime" and didn't react seriously "to such a sensitive and important incident, although they did respond severely and dismissively to a purely scientific, academic conference."
He was referring to the ongoing conference on the Holocaust underway in Tehran. "Such biased attention shows that (these nations) protect…liberty, democracy, justice and peace only when it serves their interests."
Hosseini called on the UN Security Council to respond seriously to "the real and overt threats stemming from the capability to produce nuclear weapons" and not to deal with "imaginary and unrealistic" issues, such as Iran's nuclear program.
Olmert's slip-up
Olmert inadvertently unclouded Israel's nuclear ambiguousness in an interview with German TV station N24, Sat1, broadcast Monday prior his first visit to Germany as prime minister.
Olmert said that "Israel is a democracy and does not threaten anyone. The only thing we have tried to do is to live without terror, but we have never threatened anyone with annihilation. Iran explicitly, openly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map."
"Can you see that is the same level when you are aspiring to have a nuclear weapon as America, France, Israel and Russia?" he asked.
In a press conference later, Olmert attempted to mitigate his earlier statement: "I reiterate that Israel has not changed its policy on the nuclear issue and will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons to the Middle East. I stressed it twice in the interview I gave and I don’t think we should elaborate or hold a public discussion on this," Olmert added.
Nonetheless, pursuant to the statement, several Arab nations called for sanctions to be imposed against Israel. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abed al-Rahman al-Atiyah also responded to the Israeli slip of the tongue, calling on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel.
Al-Atiyah called on the US not to adopt a policy of discrimination and to work to apply international decisions and laws on Israel.
He added that Olmert's remarks on Israel's nuclear abilities "mean destruction to the region and to all of humanity."
