by Shlomo Cesana, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Minister Yuval Steinitz says Israeli government will spend coming months lobbying world powers to toughen deal with Iran • Steinitz says Israel's proposed amendments make deal "much more reasonable," hints military option still viable.
International Relations,
Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz
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Photo credit: AP  |
International Relations, Intelligence and
Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said Monday that the final
nuclear deal between world powers and Iran must include the full
suspension of activities at all of Iran's nuclear facilities.
In a meeting with foreign journalists in
Jerusalem, Steinitz further introduced a list of Israeli demands for
amendments to the framework deal that, if applied, would make the deal
"much more reasonable."
Israel believes the framework deal leaves too
much of Iran's nuclear infrastructure intact and could still allow it to
develop the means to produce a nuclear weapon.
Steinitz told reporters the Israeli government
would spend the coming months lobbying the world powers negotiating
with Iran to toughen the language of the deal, so to ensure Iran's
compliance.
While stressing that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution, Steinitz said the "military option" still exists.
"It was on the table. It's still on the table.
It's going to remain on the table. Israel should be able to defend
itself, by itself, against any threat. And it's our right and duty to
decide how to defend ourselves, especially if our national security and
even very existence is under threat," Steinitz said.
Steinitz outlined a list of several key issues
Israel wants addressed in the final agreement, including a demand to
halt all research and development with advanced centrifuges, a reduction
in the number of earlier-generation centrifuges that will be allowed to
operate, and the complete closure of the Fordo underground uranium
enrichment facility.
Israel also demands that international
inspectors be granted full access to all existing faculties at all
times, and wants Iran "to come clean" about its past efforts on
developing nuclear weapons.
Stronger assurances on how Iran's enriched
uranium stockpiles will be removed, as well as much-needed clarity on
when sanctions on Iran will be lifted and how quickly they could be
reimposed, are also among Israel's demands, he said.
Israel also seeks to see world powers make
Iran cease its support of global terrorism activities, as well as any
other subversive activities against other nations.
Israel further wants for Iran to be made to
recognize Israel's right to exist and declare it will not try to destroy
Israel. U.S. President Barack Obama, however, has rejected the notion
of linking the deal to such recognition by Iran, telling NPR it went
"beyond the scope" of the nuclear deal.
Steinitz noted the framework agreement failed
to address several key issues, such as Iran's intercontinental ballistic
missile program, which he warned were designed solely to carry nuclear
warheads, and the possibility that the deal would trigger a nuclear arms
race in the Middle East.
The minister also said world powers would have
to consider their decision not to link Iran's compliance with the deal
with lifting the sanctions, and the message sent to the international
community in general and to rogue regimes in particular, by affording
Iran, which has systematically violated U.N. Security Council
resolutions, such vast concessions.
Steinitz said what while Israel appreciated
Obama's assurance that the U.S. would stand by Israel in the event of
any Iranian aggression, Israel still plans to lobby world powers -- the
United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany -- to amend
the final version of the deal ahead of a June 30 deadline, adding Israel
still hopes the final deal can be improved.
"It might become a much better deal and a more
comprehensive and trusted deal than it is today. This is a bad deal,"
Steinitz said.
Shlomo Cesana, News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=24677
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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