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U.S., Israeli Defense Chiefs Discuss Iran Sanctions

(AFP) U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak held talks in Washington Thursday that the Pentagon said were focused on diplomatic efforts to impose "robust" sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said both sides had agreed the time had come to tighten sanctions on Iran as Tehran had "spurned" diplomatic efforts so far. The U.S. shares many of Israel's concerns on the issue and "Iran's failure to respond to a year of sustained and genuine outreach has left the international community no choice but to pursue a robust regime of sanctions," Morrell said. He said the Israelis had been "understanding, if not outright supportive" of President Obama's previous diplomatic overtures to Iran. "And obviously we have come to a point where those efforts, that outstretched hand, has not been reciprocated - in fact, it's been largely spurned." The talks between Gates and Barak were also expected to touch on cooperation on missile defense systems and the Middle East peace process, including U.S. efforts to train PA security forces, officials said.
2010-02-26 08:16:50
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