http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/1105-02.htm
Published on
Tuesday, November 5, 2002 in the Times/UK
Attack
Iran the Day Iraq War Ends, Demands Israel
by Stephen
Farrell, Robert Thomson and Danielle Haas
ISRAEL'S
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called on the international community to target
Iran as soon as the imminent conflict with Iraq is complete.
In
an interview with The Times , Mr Sharon insisted that Tehran - one of the
"axis of evil" powers identified by President Bush - should be put under
pressure "the day after" action against Baghdad ends because of its
role as a "centre of world terror". He also issued his clearest
warning yet that Israel would strike back if attacked by Iraqi chemical or
biological weapons, no matter how much Washington sought to keep its
controversial Middle Eastern ally out of any war in Iraq.
He
made clear that western Iraq would be one of the first areas targeted by the US
in any invasion, saying that lessons had been learnt from strategic mistakes of
the 1991 Gulf War when Iraq successfully fired 39 Scud missiles into Israel.
Mr
Sharon, 74, was speaking as he conducted high-level negotiations to keep his
Government afloat after the desertion of his centrist coalition partners. Last
night he survived three no-confidence votes, giving him more time to forge a
coalition with small right-wing parties. He rejected calls for early elections.
The
Knesset also approved the appointment of Shaul Mofaz, the hawkish former
Israeli Army chief, as Defence Minister.
But
even as the Knesset voted, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up inside
a shopping centre in central Israel, killing at least one other person and
injuring 20.
In
other significant changes of tone and policy, Mr Sharon told The Times that:
* Yassir
Arafat, the Palestinian leader, could have an ongoing role as a
"symbol", but could not have a role overseeing financial or security
functions. This was a departure from previous statements that Mr Arafat was
entirely "irrelevant".
* Mr Sharon
himself would continue to lead the country, elections willing, for up to five
years. There had been widespread speculation that he would retire within two
years.
* The
Israeli Government is considering an unprecedented crackdown on the Islamic
movement within its own borders, fearing that a "small minority" of
Israeli Arabs are turning against the country.
[Mr.
Sharon] asserted that while Washington was inevitably focusing on Saddam
Hussein - whom he called "insane" - the White House shared his concern
that Iran was also seeking weapons of mass destruction, and developing missiles
capable of striking Israel and even Europe.
"I
talked about these things with Vladimir Putin a few days ago and I have been to
Washington and one of the things I talked about was what will be (sic) later,
if Iraq is going to be disarmed.
"One
of the things I mentioned is that the free world should take all the necessary
steps to prevent irresponsible countries from having weapons of mass
destruction: Iran, Iraq of course, and Libya is working on a nuclear
weapon."
He
accused Tehran of sponsoring the Lebanese Shia militia, Hezbollah, which he
claimed had up to 10,000 short-range missiles stationed in Lebanon ready to
strike Israeli towns, of smuggling weapons to the Palestinian Authority, and of
trying to turn Israel's one million Arab citizens against the Jewish state.
"Iran is a centre of world terror and Iran makes every effort to possess
weapons of mass destruction on the one hand and ballistic missiles," he said.
"That is a danger to the Middle East, to Israel and a danger to Europe.
"They
are working now on a ballistic missile of 1,300km. They have almost reached
this range already. They were talking in the past about 2,500km and even
5,000km."
Mr
Sharon made it abundantly clear that he would not hold back from retaliating,
as Israel did at Washington's behest in 1991, if his nation came under serious
attack. "First, we understand the sensitivity. We are living here, we were
born here. Israel will make every effort not to interfere," he said.
But
he warned: "If Israel, and I made it very clear, is attacked by weapons of
mass destruction . . . Israel will react. Is it clear? I believe that they
understand that Israel will not be able not to defend itself."
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