Peres says 'no' to military option on Iran's N-issue

JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Thursday that there was no military solution to
arch-foe Irans controversial nuclear programme.
The solution in Iran is not a military one, Peres was quoted by his office as telling visiting US Middle East envoy
George Mitchell. Over the past several years Israeli officials have repeatedly warned that all options were
possible in resolving the standoff over Irans nuclear programme.
Israel, widely considered to be the Middle Easts sole nuclear armed power, and the United States suspect the
Islamic Republic of using the programme to develop atomic weapons, a charge that Tehran has repeatedly
denied.
The Jewish state considers Tehran to be its arch-enemy because of repeated calls by President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad for Israel to be wiped off the map.
New Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the threat posed by Iran constituted the biggest
threat to Israels existence since its creation 61 years ago.
Last week US Vice President Joe Biden said Netanyahus cabinet would be ill-advised to attack Iran, but
stressed it was unlikely to do so.
Meanwhile, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Thursday warned Russias visiting deputy foreign minister
against any sale of advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran, a senior official said.
I would like to express great appreciation to Russias important role in regional processes-both diplomatic and
in the efforts to prevent the destabilisation of the Middle East, Baraks office quoted him as telling Alexander
Saltanov.
Barak further urged Saltanov to avoid selling advanced anti-aircraft missile systems to Iran, a senior defence
official told AFP.
The Jewish state has repeatedly expressed its concern over reports that Moscow plans to sell Tehran the S-300
missiles, a sophisticated anti-aircraft system that could be used to foil airstrikes against Iranian nuclear sites.
Russia has nevertheless denied it intended to sell Iran the missiles.
Hawks in the governments of both Israel and the United States have floated the idea of air strikes on Iran to
prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.