JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE WITH U.S. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES AND ISRAELI SECRETARY OF DEFENSE AMIR PERETZ
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
April 18, 2007
Excerpts
. . .
PERETZ: We agreed on the vital need to continue to
contend with the threat from Iran. In this generation, too, there is
a nation that has declared that it wants to destroy the State of Israel.
In your presence, Mr. Secretary, I would like to underscore the position
of the State of Israel which determines that Iran is a threat not only
to Israel but to the entire region and the free world. This is a problem
that concerns your government, the governments of Europe and all the
countries of the free world. Iran denies the Holocaust, openly declares
its plans and intentions and we are sure that the free world, led by
the United States, will not stand by.
I repeat our analysis that the year 2007 is critical for the diplomatic efforts
in order to thwart Iran’s nuclear program. I would like to congratulate
the United States for its success in the Security Council and the Resolutions
there in order to strengthen the sanctions on Iran, strengthen the diplomatic
pressure in order to thwart its dangerous plans. The diplomatic track is preferable
and it must be exhausted, but it is still not able to remove other options
from the table.
. . .
GATES: . . . we also, as he suggested, talked at length about Iran and I stressed my view that it was important to deal with the Iranian nuclear problem through a diplomacy which appears to be working.
. . .
QUESTION: Secretary Gates, you said that the diplomatic channel with Iran is working. How exactly? Did they stop or reduce their activity regarding the nuclear weapons? How the United States will act in face of an Iranian attack on Israel? . . .
GATES: Well, first of all, with respect to the Iranian nuclear program and the diplomatic effort, I think first of all it’s important that there have been two United Nations Resolutions, and that the international community is united in telling Iran what it needs to do with respect to its nuclear program. These things don’t work overnight, but it seems to me clearly the preferable course to keep our focus on diplomatic initiatives and particularly because of the united front of the international community at this point.
. . .