Netanyahu Tells U.N. Chief Not to Visit Iran
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Friday that he would be making "a big mistake" if he attended an international summit in Iran.
"Mr. Secretary General, you do not belong in Tehran," a statement from Netanyahu's office quoted the premier as telling Ban in a telephone conversation.
"The prime minister criticized the secretary general's trip and said he did not see any reason for his visit to a country whose rulers are anti-Semitic and have the goal of destroying Israel," it added.
Official Iranian news agency IRNA said on Sunday that Ban had accepted an invitation to an August 30-31 Non-Aligned Movement summit in Tehran.
It said that the leaders of Russia and Turkey were also invited but it did not say if they had accepted.
The U.N. has so far not confirmed that Ban plans to attend.
Netanyahu's office quoted him as telling Ban that "even if it is not your intention, your visit to Iran will give legitimacy to a regime which represents the biggest threat to world peace and security."
"Not only is it a threat to countries throughout the Middle East, not only is it the largest exporter of terrorism around the world, it is impossible to overstate the danger it poses to Israel," he said.
Israel, the sole if undeclared nuclear power in the Middle East, says Iran's nuclear program poses an existential threat and has refused to rule out military action to halt Tehran's nuclear activity. Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.
The NAM is a grouping of 120 countries which consider themselves not formally part of the world's major power blocs. Russia and Turkey are not members but Moscow has observer status.
11 August 2012, 08:50
10
Over most of the world, specially the US. Will never get a president without their approval. Kind of like Lebanon and Syria, concerning your presidents.
11 August 2012, 15:23
00
What makes this jerk so arrogant is that he does not "advise" Moon not to go to IRan, or "suggest" or "recommend", no he gives a directive, he tells Moon not to go to Iran. It is the height of arrogance and stupidity.
Our main problems with Iran is our ignorance of them, how they work, what they will do and not do. It is out of this ignorance that our fear has arisen, as we fear that which we do not know. And it is from the fear that we must seek to defend ourselves. Enter Mr. Netanyahu.
However, by knowing, by elimination of fear, there is no need to confront and no need for Mr. Netanyahu. So Netanyahu follows a policy of forced ignorance; a policy that engenders fear and therefor that calls for confrontation.
This Netanyahu is a dirty guy. No doubt why Kadeema left his government and why more than half of the Israelis loath him. Israelis are good decent people by and large. Netanyahu is not.
