(AFP) "The interim agreement which went into force today does not prevent Iran from realizing its intention to develop nuclear weapons," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset Monday. "This objective is still before us." Netanyahu compared Iran's bid for a nuclear weapon to a train which needed to pass three stops en route to obtaining a military capacity. "The Geneva agreement cancelled the 20% stop but left the train on the track and even permits Iran to upgrade and improve the engine, so that one day, Iran will be able to rush forward to the final stop, in a short time and on an express track, without slowing down for the interim stops." "In a permanent agreement, the international community must get the Iranian nuclear train off the track. Iran must never have the ability to build an atomic bomb." Netanyahu added: "The time has come for the international community, which has been making things easier for Iran and giving it legitimacy of late, to also demand that it halt its calls for the destruction of Israel and stop funding terror organizations: Hamas, Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad." Visiting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, "We truly hope that it is possible to walk the Iranian government back from taking the irreversible step of manufacturing nuclear weapons. But for now, Canada's own sanctions will remain fully in place....Should our hopes not be realized, should the present agreement prove ephemeral, Canada will be a strong voice in the world for renewed sanctions."
2014-01-22 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive