Last update - 00:00 25/05/2007
Ex-U.S. defense chief: It would be a mistake for Israel to attack Iran
By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent
Former United States Defense Secretary William Perry said Thursday that it would be a mistake for Israel to attack Iran.
"It will be unwise if Israel chooses to do it," Perry said in an interview with Haaretz. "It may slow down and damage Iran's nuclear sites, but it will not stop them."
Perry, who was defense secretary from 1994 to 1997 under then president Bill Clinton, is attending an international conference titled "Preventing a Nuclear Catastrophe." The conference was organized by Israeli-Russian businessman Viatcheslav Kantor who is the president of the Russian Jewish Congress.
Perry, 80, today a professor at Stanford University, said Iran's nuclear program is more dangerous than North Korea's, which he dealt with during his term in office.
"But it is also more difficult to resolve. It creates a double problem more dangerous and more difficult," said Perry.
Asked how viable a military option was, Perry said, "I'm very doubtful about a military option, because the Iranian nuclear program is hidden. The results could be more dangerous. It is necessary to insist on a diplomatic solution that would include sanctions."
"Sanctions supported by incentives can be effective" he said.
Asked how committed he thought the Democratic Party presidential hopefuls were to stopping Iran from having nuclear weapons, Perry said: "Every president, Republican or Democrat, recognizes that it is a dangerous problem but in order to deal with it, the United States has to engage in a serious dialogue."
This is why "it's too early to talk about a military option," he said.