French president hosts Peres, says Iran danger to whole world, not just Israel; expresses hope new gov't will restart peace talks.
By JPOST.COM STAFFPeres and Hollande 370(photo credit: Moshe Milner/GPO)
French President François Hollande hosted President Shimon Peres in Paris on Friday, stating that the international community, and not Israel, would take responsibility for preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.“Iran is not a danger only to Israel, it is a danger to the Gulf states, to Europe and to the whole world,” Holland stated at a joint press conference with Peres.Peres warned that “the Iranians are playing a dangerous game and they are liable to lose the last chance that the international community is giving them.”Hollande also addressed the peace process, expressing hope that the formation of a new Israeli government would bring an opportunity to renew peace talks with the Palestinians.“France stands by Israel and the Palestinians and will help to advance peace, and will continue to invest in the economy of the Palestinian Authority and its development,” he said He reiterated France’s position that Israeli expanding of settlements serves an impediment to the advancement of the peace process.Peres stated that the two-state solution remains the only viable option for peace, and that PA President Mahmoud Abbas is a serious partner for peace.“Abu Mazen [Abbas] fights terror and is a zealous supporter of peace,” Peres stated, adding that he believes that “the moment a new government is formed in Israel the peace process will be renewed.”The president said that the upcoming visit of US President Barack Obama to Israel is an important opportunity to restart negotiations for a peace agreement.Peres continued in his efforts to convince the European Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization.“Hezbollah is destroying Lebanon from within, cooperates with the dictatorship of [President Bashar] Assad in Syria, serves as Iran’s loyal proxy and has become the biggest collector of missiles in the world. Hezbollah carries out murderous terror attacks around the world, including in Europe, as was seen in the Burgas terror attack.”
Hollande stated that Europe’s united stance on Hezbollah would be determined by Bulgaria’s investigation into July’s Burgas attack in which five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed.The EU has resisted pressure from the US and Israel to blacklist Hezbollah, arguing this could destabilize Lebanon’s fragile government and contribute to instability in the Middle East.
