Olmert, Bush to Hold Talks on Iran Nuclear Program

Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert plans to discuss Iran’s controversial nuclear activities in a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush and two of his advisers next week, United Press International reported (see GSN, Jan. 2).

Olmert is expected to host a meeting with Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and national security adviser Stephen Hadley to address a recent U.S. National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program.  The report stated that Iran halted nuclear weapons efforts several years ago but continues to conduct uranium enrichment activities that could be put to military purposes.

“Iran's uranium enrichment program is no less a concern to us than the Palestinian issue,” anonymous staffers in Olmert’s office told Ynetnews yesterday.

“This is the first time that the subject will be discussed in person.  We cannot say whether Israel will present to the president the information the country has on the subject,” the sources said.  “However, there is an understanding between Israel and the United States on the need to pursue efforts to stop uranium enrichment” (United Press International, Jan. 2).

Israeli President Shimon Peres called for an end to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s term in office but said that military conflict with Iran is not inevitable, Agence France-Presse reported.

“I do not think that a war with Iran is necessary,” he said in an interview published yesterday.

“Ahmadinejad can be deposed by other means.  Sanctions have revealed themselves to be a very effective instrument.  Sanctions, not war, did away with North Korea's nuclear weapons.”

Peres said he did not think the Iranian people want to develop nuclear weapons or obliterate his country.

“The majority is not ready to trade Allah and Mohammed for enriched uranium.  Those that, like Iran, threaten the future of humanity have no future themselves.  We will survive Ahmadinejad” (Agence France-Presse I/Google News, Jan. 2).

Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said today that Iran and the United States could eventually establish diplomatic ties, although that is not likely to occur in the near future, Reuters reported.

“Not having relations with America is one of our main policies but we have never said this relationship should be cut forever,” Khamenei told an audience in central Iran.

“Establishing this relationship now would be harmful for us and naturally we shouldn't follow it,” state media quoted him as saying.  “Certainly, the day when having relations with America is useful for the nation I will be the first one to approve this relationship” (Zahra Hosseinian, Reuters/Yahoo!News, Jan. 3).

Khamenei, who has the final word in all Iranian political decision-making, stated that Iran would not halt its uranium enrichment program, AFP reported.

The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran halt uranium enrichment as a precondition to being freed from international sanctions.  Iran has insisted that its enrichment is intended solely for power production, but Western powers suspect it could be aimed at producing a nuclear weapon ingredient.

“In the next 20 years, we should have at least 20,000 megawatts of nuclear electricity,” Khamenei said

“The nation which is carrying out enrichment by relying on itself will build the plants too.  If the nation had not done the enrichment, it would be behind by years,” he added.

The 1,000-megawatt Bushehr nuclear power plant under construction in southern Iran is expected to become the country’s first nuclear power facility.  Russia is building the plant and supplying Iran with uranium fuel for its reactor (Agence France-Presse II/Spacewar.com, Jan. 3).

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