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Israeli FM: US dialogue with Iran could be problem
By AMY TEIBEL,Associated Press Writer AP - Friday, November 7
JERUSALEM - Israel's foreign minister said Thursday that President-elect Barack Obama shouldn't talk to Iran just yet, warning that such dialogue could project "weakness" _ a first sign of disagreement with the incoming American administration.
Obama has stated a willingness to talk to Iran about its nuclear program, which Israel, the U.S. and others believe is aimed at developing an atomic bomb. His policy marks a departure from that of the Bush administration, which has refused to engage Iranian leaders.
Tzipi Livni, a contender for prime minister in February elections, noted in an interview with Israel Radio that Obama is not willing to accept a nuclear Iran.
But "dialogue at this time is liable to broadcast weakness," cautioned Livni, who is head of the governing Kadima Party. "I think early dialogue at a time when it appears to Iran that the world has given up on sanctions could be problematic."
Obama, who swept to victory in elections Tuesday, reasons that direct diplomacy with Iranian leaders would give the U.S. more credibility to press for tougher international sanctions. The U.N. Security Council already has passed three rounds of sanctions against Iran.
He has said he would step up diplomatic pressure on Iran before Israel feels compelled to launch a military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
Israeli officials describe Iran as the biggest threat to the Jewish state's existence, citing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's frequent calls for Israel's destruction and its development of long-range missiles capable of striking the Jewish state.
Iran says its nuclear program is designed to produce energy, not weapons, but Israel, like the U.S., is unconvinced. Israeli military officials have said Iran could have the capacity to produce a bomb as early as next year.
Livni has repeatedly said she hopes international diplomacy prevails. But she doesn't rule out force if U.N. sanctions don't pressure Tehran to scale back its nuclear aims. In June, she said Iran "needs to understand the military threat exists and is not being taken off the table."
Israeli combat planes destroyed an unfinished Iraqi reactor in 1981. But policy makers and experts are at odds over whether Israel could cripple Iran's nuclear program, whose facilities are scattered and in some cases built underground in heavily fortified bunkers.
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