Iran’s behaviour in apparently defying the international community to press ahead with its nuclear programme is “unacceptable” and could bring “tougher sanctions”, the PM has said.
In a Downing Street press conference with Israeli PM Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister said it was paramount for Iran to “take notice of the strong and concerted international pressure” building around the nuclear issue and to end its nuclear programme.
Read the transcript for the film below:
Prime Minister:
Can I say first of all what a pleasure it has been for me to entertain Ehud Olmert, the Prime Minister of Israel, for lunch today and for us to be able to talk about many of the common challenges that we face with terrorism, the challenge we face on the world economy, but challenges we face also in the Middle East and we are as anxious as he is to move forward with a process of peace and prosperity in the region.
We look forward to the talks that will take place in Annapolis with a wide group of people present. We are not complacent about the outcome, we have no false hopes about the outcome, but we do believe that it is an important step forward and I wish Mr Olmert well in the work that he is doing to prepare for that. I have said that we stand ready to give economic help to the Palestinian people. We have published in the last few weeks our proposals for an economic road map that would provide for industrial development in the Palestinian areas, would provide for small business incentives, would provide for micro credit for small Palestinian firms, but that of course is dependent upon security and dependent on agreement to this two state solution which protects the security of Israel while making it possible for there to be a viable Palestinian economy.
As many of you here know, I have been a long term friend of Israel. I have enjoyed my visits to Israel. Over many, many years my father spent many months in Israel and I have a strong sense of Ehud Olmert’s belief that he can move the peace process forward and we want to give him every support we can. Therefore it is a tremendous privilege to welcome him to London.
I just wanted to say one other thing about Iran. We are absolutely clear that we are ready and will push for further sanctions against Iran. We will work through the United Nations to achieve this. We are prepared also to have tougher European sanctions. We want to make it clear that we do not support the nuclear ambitions of that country. Mr Solana is of course meeting the Iranians today in Rome and the E3 Foreign Ministers of course have also expressed views recently about what needs to be done. But we are ready and will press for further sanctions because we believe that this is the way in which we can make it absolutely clear to the Iranian regime that we will not accept the course that they are embarked upon.
It is a great pleasure to welcome Ehud here and I will ask him to say a few words.
Mr Olmert:
Thank you very much Prime Minister Brown. Indeed I enjoyed the privilege of being a friend and a guest of the Prime Minister when both of us were Finance Ministers. I will never forget the stamina that you manifested Prime Minister when as a Minister of Finance you came one morning to Israel and we had a breakfast meeting at 7.30 am and at 7.00 I got a telephone call from the airport and the Finance Minister tells me: I am sorry, I just landed and I have to go right back to London for an important vote in parliament. And then I asked you: OK then Minister, when will you be back, and he said: tomorrow morning, same time, same place. And he did.
Prime Minister:
You were kind enough to give me breakfast though.
Mr Olmert:
You did, which was a remarkable performance and since then we had several occasions to meet as Finance Ministers and I am very proud, Prime Minister Brown, that you hosted me with my colleagues for lunch in this great place, 10 Downing Street, and we had an opportunity to discuss some important issues which are on both of our agendas.
You mentioned Iran and I can say indeed we think that it is time for the international community to step up the efforts to make sure that the Iranians understand the absolute determination of the nations of the world to prevent them from acquiring nuclear capacity. I think that the economic sanctions can be effective, I think they were already effective. I think that if they will be stepped up by the international community it will increase the effectiveness and may yield very important results and I congratulate you for your determination and leadership in not just supporting it but in making it very explicit and clear-cut speaking for Great Britain on this very important issue.
I am encouraged because I heard similar words yesterday from President Sarkozy and I am very happy that both you and him are leading this policy together with the United States of America and I hope these other European countries.
We also discussed naturally the coming international meeting in the United States. The purpose of this meeting, as we said several times, is to provide an umbrella of international support for the efforts that the Palestinians and ourselves are making in order to start serious detailed negotiations that will lead to the creation of a two state solution - Israel as the state of the Jewish nation, and the Palestinian state as the state of the Palestinian people. And we are definitely anxious to move up these negotiations and hope that the meeting in Annapolis when it will take place sometime towards the end of November will be very helpful in creating the necessary mood, will create the necessary international environment that will strengthen both sides in their efforts to move forward. Annapolis will not provide a solution but it will set the direction. It therefore will not be a negotiating process because we will continue the direct negotiations between us and the Palestinians as was agreed between us and them all along the way, but it will help create the necessary international environment which is of great possible consequence.
And finally we have discussed some other issues, the bilateral relations between Israel and Great Britain. We are a major trade partner with Great Britain, as you know. We are a big buyer, the biggest buyer from the Middle East in Great Britain which is of some consequence and considering the strength of the British economy under your leadership for so many years, and the growth of the Israeli economy in the last few years, which is a source of great pride for us, I believe that in the bilateral relations we can do many things. And in the European Union, which naturally Great Britain is one of the major forces, Israel is a serious partner and will continue to be a serious partner and we look at Europe as not just a major trade partner for the state of Israel but also under your leadership, the leadership of friends like you, is a very important political partner for the state of Israel.
Again Mr Prime Minister thank you so much for your hospitality and friendship.
Prime Minister:
Thank you very much.
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