by Israel Hayom Staff
In statement released just hours before nuclear talks in Geneva, Security Cabinet says sanctions must not be eased when they are so close to achieving their intended purpose • "It would be a historic mistake not to take full advantage of the sanctions."
Two days of closed-door
nuclear talks got underway on Tuesday at the U.N. offices in Geneva
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Photo credit: AP  |
With talks between world powers and Iran
getting underway in Geneva on Tuesday, Israel's Diplomatic-Security
Cabinet released an official statement calling for continued global
pressure on Iran until it dismantles its nuclear weapons program.
"Today, another round of negotiations between
the P5+1 and Iran will begin in Geneva," the statement, which was
adopted unanimously, said. "These negotiations begin at a time when the
Iranian regime is under great pressure because of the sanctions and is
desperately trying to have them removed. Sanctions must not be eased
when they are so close to achieving their intended purpose.
"Now is an opportune moment to reach a genuine
diplomatic solution that peacefully ends Iran's nuclear weapons
program. However, this opportunity can be realized only if the
international community continues to put pressure on Iran and does not
ease the sanctions prematurely. It would be a historic mistake not to
take full advantage of the sanctions, by making concessions before
ensuring the dismantling of Iran's nuclear weapons program.
"Israel will embrace a genuine diplomatic
solution which would bring about the dismantling of Iran's nuclear
weapons program. Such a solution would require Iran to comply with
Security Council resolutions and other steps which call upon it to:
cease all nuclear enrichment; remove from its territory all the
stockpiles of enriched uranium; dismantle the underground facilities
near Qom and Natanz, including the centrifuges inside them; [and] stop
all work on the plutonium-producing heavy-water reactor in Arak.
"Unfortunately, we have seen no evidence that Iran is willing to accept such a solution.
"On the contrary, Iran continues to enrich
uranium without letting up. It insists that it has the 'right to
enrich.' But as President [Hasan] Rouhani revealed in his 2011 book: 'A
country that can enrich uranium to about 3.5% will also have the
capability to enrich to 90%. ... Having fuel cycle capability virtually
means that a country that possesses this capability is able to produce
nuclear weapons.'
"Rouhani's goal is clear. Furthermore, the
'Supreme Leader' [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei is the true decision maker
regarding Iran's nuclear program. Khamenei has not given any indication
whatsoever that he has changed his objective of attaining nuclear
weapons.
"Iran claims that it supposedly has the 'right
to enrich.' But a country that regularly deceives the international
community, that violates U.N. Security Council resolutions, that
participates in the slaughter of civilians in Syria and that promotes
terror worldwide, has no such right.
"Israel does not oppose Iran having a peaceful
nuclear energy program. But as has been demonstrated in many countries,
from Canada to Indonesia, peaceful programs do not require uranium
enrichment or plutonium production. Iran's nuclear weapons program does.
"Israel calls upon the international community
not to reach a partial agreement that would fail to bring about the
full dismantling of the Iranian military nuclear program, and at the
same time, could lead to the collapse of the sanctions regime. Iran
believes it can get by with cosmetic concessions that would not
significantly impede its path to developing nuclear weapons, concessions
that could be reversed in weeks. In exchange, Iran demands an easing of
the sanctions, which have taken years to put in place.
"The international community must reject
Iran’s attempts to reach a deal that leaves it with the capability to
develop nuclear weapons and must insist upon a genuine and sustainable
agreement."
The statement began with a review of the history of Iran's nuclear program over the past two decades.
"Iran has been working for over 20 years to
obtain nuclear weapons capabilities despite its declared commitment to
pursue only civilian nuclear energy. During this time, Iran has
repeatedly deceived the international community about its nuclear
program, including its efforts to conceal enrichment facilities at
Natanz and Qom. Iran has also systematically defied United Nations
Security Council resolutions which call upon it to end its enrichment.
"Brazenly violating these resolutions, Iran
has increased the number of centrifuges from 164 in 2006 to over 18,000
today, and it has amassed during negotiations with the international
community several tons of enriched uranium.
"An Iran with military nuclear capabilities
would threaten world peace and stability as well as the security of
countries across the Middle East, including Israel, which it threatens
to annihilate.
"Iran continues to develop missiles of various
ranges, including intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to carry
nuclear warheads. These missiles pose a threat to the Middle East,
Europe, the United States and other countries. As a result of Iran’s
actions, the U.N. Security Council has adopted a series of resolutions.
The most recent one, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1929 from June
2010, determined that Iran must: fully and sustainably suspend all
enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water-related activity; [and] refrain
from any activity related to developing ballistic missiles capable of
delivering nuclear weapons.
"In the resolution, the Security Council determined that Iran had breached previous U.N. Security Council resolutions.
Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=12589
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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