Monday, September 21, 2009

DTN News: Israel Not Planning To Attack Iran Says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev

DTN News: Israel Not Planning To Attack Iran Says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media
(NSI News Source Info) MOSCOW, Russia - September 21, 2009: The Israeli president has told Russia Tel Aviv has no plans to attack Iran, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says in an interview with CNN.
Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev speaks during an interview with CNN at his residence in Barvikha outside Moscow, September 15, 2009. Israel told Russia it would not launch an attack on Iran, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said in a CNN interview released on Sunday, in which he described such an attack as "the worst thing that can be imagined". Picture taken September 15, 2009.
"When Israeli President [Shimon] Peres was visiting me in Sochi recently, he said something very important for all of us: 'Israel does not plan any strikes on Iran, we are a peaceful country and we will not do this'," Medvedev said in the interview, released on Sunday.
Tel Aviv has never ruled out the possibility of a military strike against Iran, which is accused by the US, Israel and some European countries of aiming to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its civilian nuclear program.
While categorically denying the allegations, Iran says it has the capability to ward off any attack on the country and has stressed that an Israeli strike would meet a 'decisive' response from Tehran.
Medvedev said his Israeli counterpart made the remark during his August visit to Russia. He said an Israeli attack on Iran would be 'the worst thing that can be imagined' and that it would lead to 'a humanitarian disaster, a vast number of refugees, Iran's wish to take revenge and not only upon Israel, to be honest, but upon other countries as well'.
“But my Israeli colleagues told me that they were not planning to act in this way and I trust them,” Medvedev said in the interview, which was recorded on Tuesday, according to the Kremlin transcript.
Peres said after his meeting with Medvedev that the Russian president had promised to reconsider the sale of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Iran.
However, when asked about the possible delivery of S-300 to Iran, Medvedev told CNN that Russia had the right to sell defensive weapons to Iran.
Some Western countries are mulling over tougher sanctions against Iran should talks fail to resolve the country's nuclear issue; Medvedev, however, said sanctions were ineffective and no action should be taken against Iran, except as a last resort.

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