Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in Washington for the annual AIPAC conference, will try to convince President Bush Israel has better intelligence than the US proving Iran may soon go nuclear.
Story Transcript
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EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Israel will not tolerate the possibility of a nuclear Iran, and neither should any other country in the free world.
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PEPE ESCOBAR, ANALYST, THE REAL NEWS NETWORK: This is Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel speaking at the AIPAC dinner for more than 7,000 people here in Washington. The timing’s absolutely extraordinary. As Olmert is speaking, Barack Obama has clinched the nomination for the Democratic Party as the first African-American running for president.
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OLMERT: Iran is the world’s largest exporter of terrorism. Iran’s defiance of international resolutions and its continued tactics of deception and denial leave no doubt as to the urgent need for more drastic and robust measures. Sanctions can be imposed on the export of gasoline to Iran, and they can be imposed on countries which refine gasoline for Iran. Governments should announce that Iranian businessmen are no longer welcome in their countries.
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What Olmert is doing in Washington is not exactly just having dinner with 7,000 people—it goes way beyond that. According to Ha’aretz, the Israeli daily, and I quote:
(TEXT ON SCREEN) “[Olmert] will try to convince Bush to set aside the National Intelligence Estimate on Iran’s nuclear program in favor of data presented by Israel, and determine the administration’s policy on Iran accordingly.” (Ha’aretz, June 3, 2008.)
McCain was here, and he was very hawkish on Iran. Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, was here, and she was very hawkish on Iran. And Olmert is now making the case here in front of this extremely enthusiastic audience against Iran as well. But the case will be made on a face-to-face between Prime Minister Olmert and George W. Bush, even though Olmert is at the ropes back home, accused of a corruption scandal. He might even lose his job. But it all comes down to Bush and Olmert, and Olmert convincing Bush that something has to be done urgently against Iran.
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