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Last update - 22:01 17/10/2007
Bush warns nuclear Iran could spur 'World War III'
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Bush, Invasion, Iraq, Turkey

United States President George W. Bush on Wednesday warned that a nuclear-armed Iran could lead to a third world war because of the Islamic
state's determination to destroy Israel.

"We've got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy
I
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srael," Bush said, referring to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"So I've told people that, if you're interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday called for a new United Nations Security Council resolution on Iran, aimed at preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

At a news conference in Jerusalem after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Livni said, "I do believe there is a need for
another Security Council resolution. In the past, the need to get everybody on board, including Russia and China, led to some compromises on the nature of the sanctions. I hope this will not [be] the case this time."

Rice said the council is working on a new resolution, and the U.S. would follow that route if negotiations with Iran fail.

Israel considers Iran a serious threat because of repeated calls by its president for the destruction of Israel and its assumed goal of building nuclear weapons. Iran denies that its nuclear program is military in nature.

Bush's warnings of potential global conflict came one day after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Ahmadinejad in Tehran and stated there was no evidence to support western accusations that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.

Bush said he was eager to hear from Putin about his conversations with
Ahmadinejad and whether the Russian leader remained determined to prevent
Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Bush said he wanted Putin to "clarify" his remarks.

"He understands that it's in the world's interests to make sure that Iran
does not have the capacity to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said.

"If he wasn't concerned about it, then why do we have such good progress at the United Nations?" Bush said.

Putin has backed two UN Security Council resolutions imposing limited
sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment, but has been
reluctant to come down too hard on Tehran over concerns it would undermine the diplomatic effort to keep Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Iran maintains the process is solely for producing civilian energy.

Bush urges Turkey not to launch offensive into Iraq
Earlier Wednesday, Bush said that the U.S. has made clear to Turkey that it should not launch a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

At a White House news conference, Bush also repeated calls for the
Democratic-controlled Congress to drop plans for a resolution labeling as
genocide the World War I-era killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the final years of the Ottoman Empire.

Noting the number of domestic bills pending before Congress, he said, "one thing Congress should not be doing is sorting out the historical record of the Ottoman Empire."

U.S.-Turkish relations have been strained by the Armenian genocide resolution and by the prospect of Turkey launching an offensive against the rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party. Bush spoke as Turkey's parliament voted overwhelmingly to empower its government to order troops into Iraq.

"We are making it very clear to Turkey that we don't think it is in their
interest to send troops into Iraq," Bush said.

"Actually they have troops already stationed in Iraq and they've had troops stationed there for quite a while," he said. "We don't think it's in their interest to send more troops in."

Bush said he talked about Turkey with Ryan Crocker, U.S. ambassador to Iraq, and Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, on Wednesday. He also noted that Tariq al-Hashimi, one of Iraq's vice presidents, was in Istanbul expressing that Iraq shares Turkey's concerns about terrorist activities, but that there is a better way to deal with the issue than having turkey send additional troops into the country.

"What I'm telling you is that there's a lot of dialogue going on and that's positive," he said.

Bush used the news conference, his first since Sept. 20, to prod the
Democratic-controlled Congress to approve spending, education and health
issues.

He also urged Congress to approve trade deals that would strengthen U.S.
allies.

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      1.   Who don`t the Turkish do the same with the US 19:02  |  Mark B. 17/10/07
      2.   Listen to "BUSH the war criminal" did Bush listen to anybody 19:14  |  JAMES 17/10/07
      3.   This clown can`t be trusted with anything! 19:16  |  lakshmi 17/10/07
      4.   When lunatics, thughs and tricksers are ruling the world...... 19:35  |  Swiss (Dino) 17/10/07
      5.   Bush will not svae us.. the world will blame us 19:39  |  My name is nobody 17/10/07
      6.   lakshmi: that`s my prez you insult...my fatwah 19:39  |  Michael Korn 17/10/07
      7.   #1-#3 19:40  |  DR 17/10/07
      8.   Get out of there you shmuck ! 20:03  |  Proud American 17/10/07
      9.   Lakshmi the Predictable 20:03  |  Honest Observation 17/10/07
      10.   Ominous 20:06  |  Nosama 17/10/07
      11.   to Mark B in Holland 20:06  |  TAZ 17/10/07
      12.   Any doubts? 20:08  |  W 17/10/07
      13.   Mark B. S 20:09  |  baba lalou 17/10/07
      14.   Yes, Turkey do not invade your neighbor but we will invade 20:11  |  Observor 17/10/07
      15.   Mr. Bush, You Can`t Prevent Knowledge 20:11  |  Rivka 17/10/07
      16.   Mark B`s idle banter 20:16  |  Jake 17/10/07
      17.   It is the Bush administration 20:16  |  Mark Lincoln 17/10/07
      18.   Nasrallah`s rubbing his hands in anticipation 20:18  |  Existential 17/10/07
      19.   Bush playing to AIPAC 20:38  |  Tosefta 17/10/07
      20.   war is a peace 20:43  |  Fuzzy Logic 17/10/07
      21.   AhMadInJihad is just another Nazi : Iranians should be ashamed 20:44  |  A.Schikelgruber 17/10/07
      22.   It has nothing to do with love..... 20:46  |  Jean La Feet 17/10/07
      23.   putin should be putting the brakes on his runaway allies 20:49  |  yahn goodey 17/10/07
      24.   Bush Warns about Nuclear Iran 20:53  |  Gary 17/10/07
      25.   Lets stop proxy wars 20:55  |  ja 17/10/07
      26.   Iran and the bomb 20:55  |  Ron 17/10/07
      27.   Stopping the knowledge thing 20:59  |  joebhed 17/10/07
      28.   Only one more year of this idiot 21:00  |  tadchase 17/10/07
      29.   what about World War 4? 21:05  |  Henry Essay 17/10/07
      30.   Bush will do it. 21:06  |  Chick 17/10/07
      31.   impeach the bastard 21:10  |  akiva 17/10/07
      32.   Simplistic folksy drivel from a Bonehead 21:13  |  Clickfool 17/10/07
      33.   Tosefta, truly sickening 21:19  |  Jake 17/10/07
      34.   Bush and Carter: Bookends of irrelevance 21:21  |  avramele 17/10/07
      35.   Watch the oil price shoot up 21:24  |  Clickfool 17/10/07
      36.   Preventing Iran from Nuclear power will cause World War III 21:26  |  observer 17/10/07
      37.   World war 3 21:28  |  Abu Yusuf 17/10/07
      38.   Because of Bush... 21:29  |  Anne 17/10/07
      39.   Could someone be right?? 21:29  |  Larry 17/10/07
      40.   Stop Whinging, Start Bombing 21:36  |  Solon 17/10/07
      41.   Tosefta is right, Jake is wrong. 21:43  |  Maki 17/10/07
      42.   #8, Tosefta 21:45  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 17/10/07
      43.   AHMADINEJAD Claimed "a nation of martyrs could rule-- 21:46  |  PETERSM 17/10/07
      44.   No 22 Think about yourself 22:00  |  Sajid 17/10/07
      45.   Bush ask Germany to stop collaborating with Iran! 22:03  |  Jonathan S 17/10/07
      46.   No 14 and Putin , Business in ME 22:05  |  Willi Reitz 17/10/07
      47.   From Khomeini´s mouth 22:07  |  Hard Talk 17/10/07
      48.   All you "anti-war" activists are guaranteeing war will take place 22:08  |  Gili 17/10/07
      49.   Kol Ha`Kavod To Bush 22:16  |  Yoram 17/10/07
      50.   The Challenge for Bush with Turkey 22:16  |  Mark of Lewiston 17/10/07
      51.   Too Funny 22:19  |  Avi 17/10/07
      52.   From my school-book 22:19  |  christoph 17/10/07
      53.   Solon, then encourage London to do it, leave us out of it 22:26  |  American 17/10/07
      54.   Remember the Armenians 22:32  |  Ethel 17/10/07
      55.   Iran does not hate Jews 22:37  |  myth dispeller 17/10/07
      56.   This will make Israel loved by all Americans 22:44  |  Lori Cowen 17/10/07
      57.   Lucky Americans Should Imagine They Live in Sderot 22:46  |  Yoram 17/10/07
      58.   #28 Solon-g 22:52  |  Labhras 17/10/07
      59.   Enough Already 23:06  |  Moshe 17/10/07
      60.   Yoram from the US of A 23:07  |  American 17/10/07
      61.   Chick - shut up my chick 23:10  |  Man 17/10/07
      62.   Bush is a warmonger being pressured by Israel to attack Iran 23:14  |  Harold 17/10/07
      63.   Bush is more dangerous than Ahmedinejad 23:38  |  Michael 17/10/07
      64.   The truth has been spoken by Bush, simple and clear for all 23:40  |  Johnny 17/10/07
      65.   What a president 23:40  |  Ali 17/10/07
      66.   Proud American, maybe check other shows than simpsons? 23:42  |  Johnny 17/10/07
      67.   `prevent them from having the knowledge` 23:48  |  Harold 17/10/07
      68.   clickfool and his brilliance 23:53  |  Jeff 17/10/07
      69.   Peace to you returning lovely Bird, from Outerspace to my window 23:55  |  Tosefta 17/10/07
      70.   51Lori This will make Israel loved by all Americans 23:56  |  Logician 17/10/07
      71.   Mark of Lewiston - the PPK and the USA 00:10  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      72.   Bush says "this will start WWIII !!!!" 00:11  |  Johnboy 18/10/07
      73.   Swiss 00:12  |  Lynn 18/10/07
      74.   Mushroom Shrouds and the ultimate lies 00:15  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      75.   Mark B of Amsterdam 00:15  |  Lynn 18/10/07
      76.   Oh, and also notice 00:17  |  Mark Lincoln 18/10/07
      77.   Belligerent Bush Rides Again 00:20  |  Peter Wallace 18/10/07
      78.   Avi from Brooklyn illuminates the matter at hand 00:21  |  Jake