Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told military correspondents Monday that the problem of Iran’s nuclear program is one that should concern the entire world, and not just Israel. Iran confirmed it would resume research on nuclear fuel on Monday, prompting swift warnings by Germany of „consequences” and by the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog that the world was running out of patience with Tehran. „There is no doubt that the Iranians are walking on the edge,” Halutz said. „And there is no doubt that when you walk on the edge, [treading on] the smallest stone can drop you in the abyss.” Using an analogy from tennis, Halutz said that in their latest move, the Iranians had „served the ball” but Israel had no intention of volleying it. Iran „served the ball to us and now we’ll see what we’ll do with it, but Israel is not in a rush. The whole world is against this. At the moment, this is not exclusively an Israeli problem and we must not see it as one.” Israel, the U.S. and France have pushed for taking Iran before the UN Security Council, which could impose sanctions if Tehran is found in violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty. „The entire international community is busy with this. The United States, the Europeans and even the Russians,” Halutz said. „I don’t know what will happen or where it will lead.” EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Javier Solana said Monday Iran’s decision to break UN seals on its nuclear facilities and resume fuel production has created a serious diplomatic situation. „The situation is serious and all efforts must be made to convince the Iranians to return to the previous situation, to negotiations,” Solana told journalists after meeting with French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy in the French capital. For his part, Douste-Blazy called on Tehran to reverse its decision „without delay or conditions” and said France was „very worried.” Russia’s defense minister said earlier Monday that he hoped that the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program would not escalate into open conflict, Russian news agencies reported Monday. Enrichment is a process that can produce nuclear fuel for reactors or atomic weapons, depending on the degree of enrichment.
BPI-info
BPI-info
