Sarkozy Warns Against an Israeli Strike on Iran

Someone needs to explain to Nicolas Sarkozy that what would really be catastrophic would be if Iran obtains nuclear weapons. However he is more terrified of the prospect that Israel might strike Iran's nuclear facilities. It increasingly appears that Sarkozy is pretty much the same as his feckless predecessors, at least when it comes to Israel and the war against islamic jihadis. This is the same leader who believes he has the right to dictate who should serve in Israel's government and snubbed Avigdor Lieberman, but is willing to deal with whatever monsters sit in power in Tehran or Pyongyang.

Sarkozy: Israel strike on Iran would be catastrophe

By Haaretz Service and Reuters

Tags: Iran, Nuclear, G8



A unilateral attack by Israel against Iran to thwart the Islamic republic's nuclear ambitions would be an "absolute catastrophe," AFP quoted French President Nicolas Sarkozy as warning on Thursday.

Sarkozy was speaking after a summit of the Group of Eight and other leaders in Italy at which they agreed on the need to pursue a negotiated deal with Tehran to halt its nuclear program.

Earlier this week, U.S. President Barack Obama rebuffed suggestions that Washington had given Israel a green light to attack Iran's nuclear facilities. Israel believes that a nuclear Iran would pose an existential threat.


The French president said Wednesday that major powers in the G8 would give negotiations with Iran a chance until September.

After Sarkozy's statement Wednesday, a senior adviser to Iran's top authority said in remarks published on Thursday that the Islamic Republic would not back down "even one step" over its nuclear work, making clear Tehran's continued defiance toward the West.

Ali Akbar Velayati, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top adviser on international affairs, said Western countries did not want the Islamic state to have peaceful nuclear activities, state broadcaster IRIB said on its website.

Speaking after talks with fellow G8 leaders, Sarkozy said they would review the situation at a G20 meeting of developed and developing countries in Pittsburgh on Sept. 24 and 25.

"If there is no progress by then we will have to take decisions," said Sarkozy, indicating that tougher sanctions might be imposed if Tehran continued to resist negotiations.

Western countries believe Iran is trying to build an atomic bomb. Tehran insists it wants to master nuclear technology to generate electricity, and has rejected all overtures for talks.

U.S. and Canadian officials, meanwhile, said the world's main industrialized nations were growing increasingly impatient.

"All G8 nations are united. There is a strong consensus at the table that unless things change soon, there will be further action," said Canadian spokesman Dimitri Soudas.

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