Netanyahu Insists Iran Can Be Forced To Give Up Nuclear Program
By Paul Richter
December 8, 2013, 11:00 a.m.
WASHINGTON — In a pointed rebuttal to President Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Iran can be forced to shed its nuclear program and urged the imposition of new economic sanctions.
One day after President Obama argued that Iran can’t be compelled to give up its entire nuclear infrastructure, Netanyahu insisted that military threats and economic penalties can compel Tehran to surrender what it views as a national treasure.
“We shouldn’t assume that more and tougher sanctions won’t lead to a better deal,” Netanyahu said in an address by satellite link to the Brookings Institution’s annual Saban Forum, a Mideast policy conference organized by Los Angeles businessman and Democratic fundraiser Haim Saban.
Netanyahu called for an intensification of economic penalties on Iran and a halt to the easing of pressure on the Islamic Republic that he said has followed a preliminary international deal to curb its nuclear program. “Steps must be taken to prevent further erosion of sanctions,” he said.
Obama appeared before the same group Saturday and said that it is unrealistic to expect foreign pressure will force Iran to give up its entire program. He argued that, instead, world powers should accept a “modest” Iranian civil program, and seek in upcoming negotiations to impose intrusive monitoring to ensure the program doesn’t give Iran bomb-making capability.
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http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-netanyahu-iran-nuclear-program-20131208,0,1184232.story#ixzz2mvQfxYAS
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