Peres tells Danish FM that Syria is delivering Scuds to Hizbullah.
By GREER FAY CASHMANPeres Denmark 311(photo credit: AP)
Syria is delivering accurate long range Scud missiles to Hizbullah and other terrorist organizations, President Shimon Peres told Danish Foreign Minister Lene Espersen on Sunday.Peres, who previously accused Syria of speaking with a forked tongue when it claims to be interested in peace with Israel, said that Israel is closely following the transfer from North Korea to Iran of nuclear armaments and Scud missiles which are then forwarded from Iran to Syria and Lebanon. Syria can no longer conceal its support for terrorism, said Peres, who characterized North Korea as "a kind of duty-free store" for nuclear armaments and long range missiles which contribute to world terror.He regretted that North Korea had become a direct supplier to Iran, noting that the consequences of such action could lead to further killings of innocent people.Peres made it clear that Israel knows without a shadow of a doubt that Syria is the conduit for dangerous weaponry.On the Palestinian issue, Peres welcomed the decision to begin proximity talks in the near future and said that the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians was in Israel's national interest. He emphasized that Israel was eager to overcome all obstacles that lay in the path of peace, and reiterated that Israel has accepted the two-state solution and wants to see the establishment of a stable and sovereign Palestinian state alongside that of Israel.Peres also expressed appreciation for the warm and supportive relationship that Israel enjoys with Denmark, and for the clear message delivered by Denmark within the frameworks of the European Union and the United Nations with regard to imposing severe sanctions on Iraq as a means of getting it relinquish its nuclear program, and thereby reducing the threat of international terror.Espersen responded that there is true friendship between Denmark and Israel. The bilateral relations are strong, and have been so for several years, primarily because Denmark understands Israel's problems, the most important of which are related to national security, she said.As far as Israel's relations with the Palestinians are concerned, Espersen said that there was no better alternative than a two-state solution.With regard to Iran, Espersen said that a clear, united voice was needed within the European Union to call for the nuclear disarmament of Iran. Denmark will continue to support the efforts of the UN Security Council to impose economic sanctions against Iran, she pledged.
Peres noted that in addition to economic sanctions, the world has a moral obligation to reveal the corruption and support for terror of the Iranian leadership, and isolate it. Even the Iranian people feel great shame and embarrassment at the actions of their leaders, he said, underscoring that it is even more shameful that the world remains silent and that no legal proceedings are being taken against Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who masterminded the murderous terrorist attack on the Israel Embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 and on the AMIA Jewish Community Center in 1994.
