Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Livni: Teheran is toying with the world - The deal doesn't solve the complete halt of uranium enrichment

(Jpost).Kadima leader Tzipi Livni on Wednesday morning warned that "Iran is toying with the world," and said the current proposed deal between the West and Teheran may not be sufficient to ensure the Islamic republic will not achieve military nuclear capability.

According to the UN-drafted deal, Iran would ship much of its uranium to Russia and France for further enrichment, setting back the nuclear program and the time frame in which Iran could reach "breakout" capacity.

"Iran is toying with the world. The deal doesn't solve a major issue - the complete halt of uranium enrichment. There's a clear international consensus that a nuclear Iran is unacceptable," Livni said in a statement during a one-day visit in Moscow.

Livni told Israel Radio that in her meetings with Russian officials, she intends to stress the risks posed by the proposed deal.

"The international and Iranian state of mind must be that all the options are on the table if an arrangement that fully prevents Iran from acquiring nuclear arms is not reached," she stressed.

Livni went on to warn that the demands set by the international community must not be eroded. "We are now in the critical point in time - the offer is on the table and the powers have announced they accept the idea, but it is important to prevent erosion," she said.

"The current deal provides a partial solution, as it doesn't prevent Iran from enriching uranium during the negotiations. Obviously, this is not only an Israeli problem, there are Arab and Muslim states that would not accept a nuclear Iran."