PM tells London Jews: Russia won't supply nuclear fuel to Iran
Following meeting with British PM, Olmert tells Jewish community Israel is part, but not leading, the fight against Iran.
By Aluf Benn Tags: Ehud Olmert Jewish World Iran sanctions LondonSpeaking to Jewish group in London on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert revealed that at his meeting last week in Moscow with the Russian president, he learned that "Russia has decided not to supply nuclear fuel to Iran."
Olmert's talk followed a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after their meeting on Tuesday. Brown told reporters at that press conference that Iran's behavior is "unacceptable," and said that his country supports stepping up the sanctions against Tehran, both in the United Nations Security Council and also through the European Union.
Brown also called for progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and offered British assistance for development of the Palestinian economy.
Brown began the press conference by declaring his friendship for Israel. "I have been a long-term friend of Israel," Brown said. "I have enjoyed my visits to Israel. Over many, many years my father [who was a minister in the Church of Scotland] spent many months in Israel," he added.
Olmert said that "Brown's message on the sanctions is the right type of message. Economic sanctions can be effective, they already are effective, and another step is necessary so that Iran can cease its nuclear program.
The Israeli leader refused to address the possibility that the sanctions may fail or whether that could lead to a military operation by the United States or Israel against Iran.
In his address before representatives of the Jewish community in London, Olmert also said that "if we come to terms today with the Iranian nuclear program, in the future we will need to pay an unacceptable price, one that we cannot tolerate. This is a long process that will not be resolved in the near future, but I am optimistic."
Olmert said that Israel is part of an overall international effort against Iran, which is being led by the great powers, and not, he stressed, by Israel.
"I can reveal one detail of my meeting with Russian President Putin last week," Olmert said. "Russia has decided not to supply nuclear fuel to Iran, in spite of all the declarations and the rumors. Russia understands the implications of its decision, and understands that the international community expects it not to supply that nuclear fuel."
The prime minister said that the Iranians maintain that they are close to reaching the "technological point of no return" in developing independent nuclear capability, in an effort to convince the international community that there is no point in pressuring them further.
"They are not as far [from that point] as we would have liked, but also not as close as they are trying to portray. Therefore, there is an essential need now to pressure Iran, to force them to pay the kind of price that will make them change their stance."
Olmert discussed extensively the negotiations with the Palestinians in preparation for November's planned Annapolis peace summit.
"This is not a conference," he said. "When we say conference, we think about a few days of talks and negotiations between the participants. This is not the aim of the meeting at Annapolis, that from the start was meant to create the atmosphere that would encourage direct bilateral talks. We hope that we will be able to achieve a joint declaration prior to the meeting."
The prime minister reiterated that "from the start we did not talk about a framework for a final settlement or a solution for all the issues that are still open, by later November and early December. It is hard to think that during such a short period it will be possible to solve the problems that have preoccupied us for 40 years, formulate [solutions] and rally support for them. This is not realistic and it is best not to create unrealistic expectations, so that we will not have to later deal with failure.
"When the day comes for a final settlement, we will have to make painful sacrifices," Olmert said. "The Israeli public opinion will accept them, so long as the agreement will guarantee what is essential for the State of Israel - security for every one, safeguarding the Jewish and democratic character of the state, and also help for the creation of a Palestinian state that will be a homeland for the Palestinians."
Olmert also said that he too is debating the question of whether the current Palestinian government is capable of implementing agreements it may sign with Israel.
As a result of these concerns, he said, "we have decided that the implementation will be carried out according to the stages of the road map, and these begin with fighting against terrorism."
The prime minister also defended his decision to hold negotiations with the government of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, even with the doubts about its ability to carry out its decision.
"Any further delay may bring the moderates [in the PA] down, and in three years we would have Hamas in their place," Olmert warned.
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (AP) |
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Wether you like or not, The Russians are only making a fool of Mohamedan I ran. Russians are still "infidels". They do not believe in your "Cult".
Say, Mr. Briton. If you please. Has anyone even charged, let alone found, that Iran had anything to do with the bombing in London? I dare say, not! Except you, in this post, tie them together in a most unfortunate and untrue manner. Pity. An uninformed opinion, or propaganda, I am not sure which. I have elsewhere posted the fact that the Iranians captured the British sailors in Iranian waters. You call it a kidnapping, but they call it an invasion. tomato. tomAto. And if you caught some IRA operators on British soil and apprehended them, would that be kidnapping? More like defending your country. Which is what soldiers do. And I had no idea they were IRGC who did that. I thought it was the Iranian navy. BTW, turns out Olmert either lied or was misinformed about the Russians and the nuclear fuel thing. Funny about that.
this is so similar to neville chamberlain's response prior to hitler taking over europe and commencing ww II wake up people b4 its too late
What you posted is nonsense. You suck up whatever you read. There is no evidence at all for what you posted and if you rely on it you will be in deep feces! Israel is a pariah state and the world agrees about that. Rumbling with Iran won't change that. You say you are in Colombia so you do not live in Israel. Since you are not on the front line, your predictions shift like sand on the beach with the incoming tide.
Since the bombing of the London Underground and the kidnapping of British sailors by Iranian Revolutionary Guards it has been obvious that an Iranian Nuclear Bomb would be a deadly threat not only to the world but also to Britain. The British electorate recognises this unfortunate fact, as do Prime Minister Brown and the leader of the Opposition. Tough and effective sanctions through the UN and EU, backed up by a credible threat of military force, continue to offer the best hope of avoiding nuclear war. Your posts do not seem to recognise that this is a matter of national survival and not of petty party politics.
Are you telling us that Eurabia is becoming Jewrope ?
In just one week, Sarkozy slams Iran and supports Israel, Russia makes a deal with the US, and reliquishes handing nuclear fuel for Iran (and winks acquiessence for an attack) in exchange of a freeze on US early warning radar sites on Poland and the Czech Republic. Gordon Brown supports tougher sanctions on Iran, and winks for an attack in private too. Europe is getting fed up with becoming Eurabia... and the bad news just adds and adds. How does it feel Israel-hating on the defensive, Natallie?
bugger When will we see Cabaret omn telly again?
...Putin, knows for sure the Israeli red lines. The Bushechr plant could have been completed years ago, and it still might. However the delivery of nuclear fuel is totally another matter. Russians were told in no uncertain terms they better not, or the consequences will be their's to share. None operational plant would't bother anybody, Israel including. In short, stupid Fatmah, the danger of radioactive fuel is obvious in case of plant's destruction, and nobody knows that better than Russians, where Chernobl desaster is still fresh in mind. And as the saying goes, stupidity is a god given to...
You are all getting ahead of yourselves what do you think olmert is a fool he is not I think he knows not to trust the Russians. his point of this trip is to get intl recognition of what is going on and if putin says he wont supply fuel then in a way he is admitting that it would used to fuel a reactor so let him stick his foot in his mouth as far as hamas the same goes for them olmert want to set up a state for the pals he said so it would allot quicker if they stopped smuggling tnt into gaza step by step lets build the trust togther dont let thugs stop the peace process!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Russia is second only to Percian Gulf Arabs as the enemy of Iranian people. It's only the redicilous A-jad's ignorance and false/self-confidence that have allowed this perversive aliance to survive. IRANIANS HAVE TO THINK HARD WHO ARE THEIR TRUE ENEMIES AND WHO ARE THEIR ALLIES.
the French are now working to provide the same technology to Morrocco and the Americans are now working with India, a country who has not signed a nonproliferation treaty. Russia will say that why should it let the US and France monopolize nuclear proliferation and become rich by doing so, while Russia has to hold back. Russia will supply the fuel or it will lose all credibility in the developing world, a place where it makes most if not all of its military money from. It will show them that Russia is untrustworthy.
All it takes is a bottle of Vodka to change their minds.
He will supply them...just watch...but he will wait until the end of Bush's term.
I take your point, but there are crucial differences. People didn't mind Afghanistant, because there was a reasonable original cause, even if it's all got screwed up since. Everyone bitterly resented Iraq, but the worst effects weren't apparent when Blair was re-elected, plus the Tories were still totally unelectable. Brown, as he has recently shown, is a clumsy politician who doesn't understand the electorate and can't communicate with them. Cameron, if he has any sense, will play it low-key on any Iran attack. He'll mutter support for America, but make it pretty clear that, like the British people, he has no interest in getting bogged down in yet another stupid war. Sarkozy in any case seems to be gagging to play Blair's role in Nightmare on Middle Eastern Street III, so let him. I wonder if the French people know what they're in for!
a people who elected tony blair 3 times will stand for anything ! a population explosion out of control and a futiure like hong kong !
You say Brown would be out.How come after Iraq and Afganistan Blair was reelected?And how is Camerons policy re Iran any different?By the way add to your list 76% of British people worried immigration.
Since Israel and the US will only attack countries that do not have the means to defend themselves, a nuclear Iran will certainly keep them at bay thereby maintaining peace, and that's their main worry. Its ficticious to believe Iran could ever threaten the US and its friends, knowing they could be completely destroyed. All this talk about Iran being a threat to Israel and the United States is nothing but a giant pile of rubbish. We are just mad with envy that Iran is becoming as knowledgable as we are in nuclear technology and is trying real hard to stop them from developing in this area...that's what the 'threat' is all about. America hates it when it's authority is challanged. The challanger is then labeled a 'terrorist' state or a threat.
Olmert's assurance that KGB putin said that Russia won't suply fuel to Iran shows what a flaky lightweight Olmert is. Rather than have hard evidence, he reliels on his preception of Russia's intentions; He also said France offered guarantees which amount to nothing. How could a lawyer be such an absolute dumbell when it comes to serious security matters? The answer is fear-he is petrified.
Plutonium fabrication is much cheaper and the Russian reactor is not needed. But Busheer was also never intended from the Russian side to permit fabrication of nuclear weapons. Iran is pursuing separately the two main methods to produce a bomb. It is clear that the destruction of the main facilities is only to gain more time. But first, the military potential of the mullahs will be destroyed, otherwise the mullahs could create real havoc. And by destroying their military might, it is to be hoped, that the Iranians, where 80% are living below the poverty line because of the games played by the mullahs, will retake control of their country paving the way for a peaceful use of nuclear energy in Iran.
Yeah ! And the Pope is a Buddhist.
For politicians and ignorant masses, it is easy to declare victory when Russia delays the completion of the large reactor in Iran. But the fact is that only civilian nuclear power reactors need to be complicated and large projects that need an advanced infrastructure (such as the incomplete Russian reactor that is getting all the attention in Iran.) In reality, a reactor that is only dedicated to manufacturing plutonium, can be made much more simple, primitive, and small enough even to hide in small buildings or even trucks. In other words, Iran does NOT need the Russians to build small plutonium manufacturing reactors. And the enriched uranium (only to the level of a few percentages is needed for the plutonium reactor), can be made in decentralized centrifuge facilities that are hidden in many small places. Thus it is impossible to prevent the rising Islamic superpower to get hundreds or even thousands of nukes, and bombing Iran can only delay it by a couple of years. Be prepared.
Despite the games the Kreml Tzar is playing, Russia would NEVER do anything that would further an Islamic bomb. In this respect Russia can be trusted much more than Europe (especially Germany) which in effect is the main provider for the Iranian bomb. Putin will even not continue with the civilian reactor in Busheer until it is not crystal clear that Russia will have final control over it so that it can never be misused. The Russian people has so much suffered from Nazi Germany and then Stalin, that they would never want to have jihadists perhaps from Chechnya with some kind of nuclear devices threatening Russian cities. Putin is a ruthless and undemocratic ruler, but he likes the live in contrast to Muslim extremists who like to die. From his visit to Iran he knows that war is inevitable. It remains to be seen what he will ask from the US in return.
this is what Olmart knows, yet lies to the Jewish public DEBKAfile Exclusive: Olmert sounds alarm: Iran has crossed red line for developing a nuclear weapon. It?s too late for sanctions October 22, 2007, 9:37 AM (GMT+02:00) This is the message prime minister Ehud Olmert is carrying urgently to French President Nicolas Sarkozy Monday and British premier Gordon Brown Tuesday, according to DEBKAfile?s military and intelligence sources. Last week, Olmert placed the Israeli intelligence warning of an Iranian nuclear breakthrough before Russian president Vladimir Putin, while Israel?s defense minister Ehud Barak presented the updated intelligence on the advances Iran has made towards its goal of a nuclear weapon to American officials in Washington, including President Bush. Olmert will be telling Sarkozy and Brown that the moment for diplomacy or even tough sanctions has passed. Iran can only be stopped now from going all the way to its goal by direct, military action.
The British taxpayer won't put up with another hugely expensive, and no doubt again strategically incompetent, war fought for reasons not of major concern to them. People may think an Iranian bomb should be of concern to the Brits, but it's not, however hard some prople try to make it so. They're more worried about global warming, the US-led meltdown on the financial markets, the dangerous state of the NHS and the two stupid wars we're already stuck with.
Your use of the term bugger is very interesting.But then living near to Brighton you probably know more about buggery than most.Dont worry they dont prosecute anymore.
Russia does not need to be a reliable partner for Iran to benefit from them. Iran has learned many sensitive technologies from Russia and continue to do so. Same with China. The only reliable partner for Iran is Iran. They have to be self-sufficient in everything, including nuclear energy!
Iran is a much more stable country than Pakistan!
both Olmert and Blair should be arrested and tried for war crimes!
While Olmert is an idiot and a fool, to say he should be tried for war crimes is the same as saying blair should for what happened in Iraq. If you failed to notice their are terrorists out their killing themselves just to kill others. Go back to your tv and mobile and leave the serious issues to people in the real world!
As an occasional visitor to this site. I have noticed your digs at Israel always seem to on the board.Do you see nothing positive in Russia not wanting a nuclear Iran? I saw somewhere that you where a labour canditate. What do you make of Gordon Browns statement? Expect you will be switching to Galloways respect party next time.
So in the case of the burgeoning trade in nuclear power plants, with the accompying economic political and social influence for the country concerned. Russia is going to show the world that it is an untrustworthy trading partner who will not complete on their contracts. Olmert must have forgotten to take his medicine again.
Russia has never been a reliable ally for Iran! Taking a look to the past 200 years history shows that! and now delays in completing Bushehr plant prove that it was aterrible mistake to rely on Russian. They satisfy two parties to get money one party and concession from the other!
Palestine ceased to be under British tutelage in 1948 and Israel declared itself an independent State. - PM Olmert you were taught a typical b u t impressive diplomatic lecture by being kept standing in front of a close door Downing Street 10, before Britain?s PM Brown opened the door to first come out prior to inviting you inside. He also elegantly / tactfully avoided Olmert?s backslapping approach with a firm handshake smiling. ? Olmert did you get the message in civility and political tact?! You also had to walk some distance from your official car to number 10. ? So far the educational side at the beginning which seemingly did not express itself in a ?cold approach? as the dealing matter are too serious! Olmert just flew in from Paris after Moscow?s three to four hours visit all these in whirl wind tour under the threat of Iranian nuclear developments. - Surprising Olmert leaving out of his visits to the political VIPs, the largest/ important EU politician, German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel for unexplained reasons, despite Germans industrial commercial impart on Iran. The reported "?Russia has decided not to supply nuclear fuel to Iran?." Made to a Jewish group in London, t h i s w a s O l m e r t ? s f i r s t, s o f a r o n l y o f f i c i a l I s r a e l i n f o r m a t i o n. ? ?Other sources of officially available information came through, French President, British PM in their post Olmert meeting press conferences. - P r i m e M i n i s t e r O l m e r t y o u c l a i m t o b e ?ISRAEL?S VOICE? w h i c h here has n o t b e i n g h e a r d i n I s r a e l.! Neither where we in Israel officially informed about ?alleged Israeli action Syria!!!? - The Israeli public, the Israeli voters, the Israeli tax payers, whom you claim to represent have the right to be informed by you as being ? T H E I R T O P I S R A E L I C I V I L S E R V A N T! Your approach Mr. Olmert in this particular field mentioned is absurd, cannot continue especially as the government coalition headed by you operates now ?under secrecy and whipping up public, sensational, frightening reaction with i.e. today?s ?advice for emergencies to prepare a secure room, to retain your gas mask, to keep emergency food, illumination, battery, radio, water etc ready! All these to a public which remained so far ?in the dark about these apparently security basic problems! ? In the world of global information / commerce / financial political problems, nuclear developments the national public of every country rightfully demands true situation information from its national government maintained by tax and other income sources! Mr. Prime Minister Israel?s tax payers who finance your travelling, your policies are running out of patience? give them ?your goods? which were financed by them.
I wonder if PM Olmart has ever been wrong, can the Israeli public rest assured of this observation by Olamrt, he is relying upon a society that has the most historical government supported hate for Jews, to be placed in a stupor of feeling good about what he perceives as Russia actually having any good intentions on behalf of Jews. is the most dangerous aspect of the current imminent threat to the survival of Israel and the culprit is the Government of Israel, what a shame, the prophecies expressed by Jeremiah during the destruction and dispersal of the Jewish Nation during the first Temple, why did a nation of intelligence fall pry to a false leadership that led to its destruction is being repeated again
Be as unhappy as you wish, since we all choose our own form of emotional suicide. If you want to be unhappy, you will be. Olmet's a joke. How he got into power is still beyond me to explain. Have the Jesin Israel become so weak-kneed that they'd put such a personal in charge of their national security/diplomacy? It's like a slightly mutant form of Bush in US.
Russian and Israeli interests are widely divergent, and anyway, Russia will not sell a billion dollar power plant to Iran which cannot be used.
Its clear that this is not about what they say it is. They can try and fool us as much as they want but they cant fool logic and common sense. Why would iran try and develop nuclear weapons when they are being threatened before they surrposivly even have any. Think about it. If iran have the capability to nuke america and they did, they wouldnt last another 24 hours. I can't beleive the media is jumping onto this WMD excuse again. Ok you got away with it in afghanstan and iraq, but you will not get away with it again. The real people of the world will not stand by and watch another america-israel terror war, in the name of democracy and peace. The media should be ashamed of themselves for being biased and completely illogical. Regards An unhappy human!
120 words on page 15 of the Daily Mirror It is not even reported in the Times. Olmert is merely trying to pre-empt an announcement by Putin. As is the Israeli way. Strutting into countries making demands that you will do this you will do that. It also sounds good for a load of people who have paid a lot of money to have a dinner with Olmert. Israeli politicians never miss an opportunity to slide a wedge of money into that back pocket.
Pakistan is a cauldron of suicide bombing fanatics Iran is lead by Ahmadinejad whose contact with the real world is tenuous.
Olmert and Company are delusional as usual.
relationship between Iran and Russia are strong.Who are you trying to fool?They recently signed an agreement with the Caspian Sea litteral states(The Caspian Sea Co operation Org.,similar to the Shanghai Co operation Org.)which states among other things that no country(u.s.-israel cabal) will be allowed to use them as bases for attack on Iran.
"Speaking to Jewish group in London on Tuesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert"
There are forces in Russia who are dreaming to distroy Israel similar to Iran. Even Russia will not supply now fuel to Iran, Russia is already helped to Iran to develop own capacity to enreach of nuclear materials. West has to make a pressure to Russia stop her technnological help to Iran.