US, Israel gap on Iran widens after Obama-Netanyahu talks
Toronto Telegraph Tuesday 6th March, 2012
• US for diplomacy on Iranian nuclear issue
• Israel differs, says it should be master of its fate
• 'Time to talk about the cost of not stopping Iran'
WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama has asked Israel to give diplomacy a chance before deciding on an attack on Iranian nuclear sites to curb the Islamic republic's atomic ambitions but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retorted that his country must be the "master of its fate".
Obama made the appeal to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday when the two leaders held talks in the White House on the Iranian nuclear standoff.
"We do believe there is still a window that allows for a diplomatic resolution to this issue," Obama said.
But Netanyahu showed no sign of backing away from a possible military action and said his "supreme responsibility as prime minister of Israel is to ensure that Israel remains the master of its fate".
"We've waited for diplomacy to work. We've waited for sanctions to work. None of us can afford to wait much longer," Netanyahu told a gathering of a powerful pro-Israel lobbying group after his meeting with Obama.
"It is time to talk about the cost of not stopping Iran."
Reuters quoted an unnamed source, privy to the Obama-Netanyahu talks saying that the Israeli prime minister told Obama that his country retained right to resort to military action against Iran even as Israel was yet to decide whether to hit Iran's nuclear sites or not."
Page 1 of 2 | Next
Comments