PM: Message on Iran echoes worldwide
Netanyahu meets with Canadian PM Stephen Harper; lauds his position on Iran. Harper says Canada 'has not been shy about warning world against danger of Iranian regime'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Canadian PM Stephen Harper met Friday in New York City, as the UN General Assembly session drew to a close.
Netanyahu reiterated his praise of Harper's decision to cut all ties with Iran: "I think the work you did severing ties with Iran was not only an act of statesmanship but of moral clarity," he said, adding that the decision to close the Canadian Embassy in Iran and expel Iranian diplomats from Ottawa sets a "great example" for other nations.
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According to the Canadian media, Netanyahu further lauded Harper as a "great champion of freedom and a great friend of Israel."
"We've heard Iran talk about destroying Israel, even now, here at this current round of the UN General Assembly, and the fact that you took such clear, decisive steps is a great example to be followed by other nations, many of which attended a conference in Tehran and said nothing," Netanyahu said.
"I tried to say something yesterday, that I think reverberates now around the world, as you just told me, and that is to translate the agreement and principle of stopping Iran from developing nuclear weapons to practice.
"In practice, that means setting red lines on their enrichment process. It’s their only discernible and vulnerable part of their nuclear program."
Harper at the Appeal of Conscience Foundation ceremony
Harper replied that Canada "Has not been shy about warning the world of the danger the Iranian regime ultimately presents to all of us."
Still, the Canadian prime minister avoided backing Netanyahu's call for the UN to set a "red line" for Iran's nuclear program, reiterating instead Canada’s position that it would prefers to see a diplomatic solution to the Iranian crisis.
"We want to see a peaceful resolution of all this and we work closely with our allies to try and alert the world to the danger this presents and the necessity of dealing with it," Canada's CBC Network quoted Harper as saying.
Harper did not attend the Nations General Assembly meeting on Thursday, choosing to speak before the Appeal of Conscience Foundation, where he received its World Statesman Award.
Harper told an audience of about 900 people at that "Iran has to be isolated," and that it is a regime where evil dominates,” CBC said.
'US, Israel have shared goals'
Also on Friday, US President Barack Obama and Netanyahu spoke on the phone as part of their regular consultations, and to follow up on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's meeting with Netanyahu.
The two leaders discussed a range of security issues, and Obama reaffirmed his unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security.
The two leaders underscored that they are in full agreement on the shared goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Netanyahu welcomed President Obama’s commitment before the United Nations General Assembly to do what we must to achieve that goal. T
he two leaders took note of the close cooperation and coordination between the Governments of the United States and Israel regarding the threat posed by Iran – its nuclear program, proliferation, and support for terrorism – and agreed to continue their regular consultations on this issue going forward.
Yitzhak Benhorin, in Washington, contributed to this report
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