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Lula Says Leaders Afraid Israel May Attack Iran If Talks Fail
By: Iuri Dantas on: 13.03.2010 [14:19 ] (417 reads)
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Lula Says Leaders Afraid Israel May Attack Iran If Talks Fail
By Iuri Dantas
March 12 (Bloomberg) — Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said world leaders are afraid that Israel may attack Iran if a diplomatic solution over the country’s nuclear program is not reached “quickly.”
Lula, who makes his first trip to Israel next week, said in an interview with Israeli newspaper Haaretz that countries involved in Middle East peace talks have “grown tired” of the process. Bringing new mediators such as Brazil to the table is the only way to advance, according to a transcript of the interview released by the Presidency.
“The leaders I spoke to believe that we must act quickly, otherwise Israel will attack Iran,” Lula said, adding that sanctions against Iran could be counterproductive. “We can’t allow to happen in Iran what happened in Iraq. Before any sanctions, we must undertake all possible efforts to try and build peace in the Middle East.”
Lula is the first Brazilian president to travel to Israel. As part of his trip, he will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. He will also visit Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and the tomb of Yasser Arafat in Ramallah, West Bank.
During the five-day trip, which also includes a stop in Jordan, Lula will reiterate to Israel the Brazilian view that there is still room for negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, presidential spokesman Marcelo Baumbach said yesterday.
Lula is scheduled to travel to Iran in May and meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Lula has repeatedly expressed support for Iran’s right to develop a peaceful nuclear program and as a rotating member of the United Nations Security Council is resisting calls by the U.S. to toughen sanctions on the country.
The U.S. has enough backing from other nations to approve a fourth round of sanctions against Iran with tougher restrictions, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday. Saudi Arabia may try to persuade China, its biggest oil customer, to go along with U.S. stance, Gates said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a.fDj2qtiZJY
by Zoraida on 13.03.2010 [14:21 ]
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Lula visits Israel, Palestinians in landmark tour (AFP)
13 March 2010, 12:45 PMBRASILIA - President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva seeks to bring a fresh perspective to the peace process in a visit next week to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan that also aims to boost Brazil’s growing global clout.
The peace effort requires “someone with neutrality to speak the truth to the Israelis, to tell the truth to Palestinians, Iranians, Syrians, and whoever wants to hear the truth,” the Brazilian leader said in an interview released ahead of his departure.
Lula argued the United Nations should also play a more prominent role in the region as “a great articulator” of peace in an interview with the Israeli newspapers Haaretz and The Marker and the Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA).
But he said the UN’s role is limited because “the Security Council does not represent 21st century geopolitics,” according to a transcript released here.
Lula’s trip, the first to the region by a Brazilian head of state, comes days after Israel’s controversial decision on new settlements in east Jerusalem and as the newly minted Security Council non-permanent member seeks a voice in efforts to reach an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Israel announced its approval this week for the construction of 1,600 new homes for Jewish settlers in Arab east Jerusalem, threatening US hopes of reviving stalled peace talks.
Brazil has also stepped into other regional issues with a growing confidence in past months, clashing with both the United States and Germany over their drive to impose more sanctions on Iran over its suspect nuclear program.
On Monday, Lula meets in Jerusalem with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and opposition leader Tzipi Livni, the former foreign minister.
The next day Lula crosses over to the West Bank for meetings with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and prime minister Salam Fayad.
In a symbolic move expressing solidarity with Palestinians, Lula will stay the night in Bethlehem and on Wednesday visit the seat of the beleaguered government in Ramallah.
He will then leave for Jordan to meet with King Abdullah II to discuss Brazil’s boosted role in the Mideast peace negotiations.
Toward the end of 2009 the Brazilian leader began to play a larger role in Middle East affairs as the South American country seeks to boost its international profile to match its growing economic clout.
In November, Lula made a blunt demand for Tel Aviv to freeze expansion of West Bank settlements.
“The borders of the future Palestinian state should be preserved, and freedom of movement needs to be guaranteed in the occupied territories,” he said after meeting for two hours with Abbas.
Brazil’s foreign ministry also expressed “deep concern” that Israel intends to build new homes on land Palestinians want as part of the capital of their future state.
Lula has also made clear he considers Iranian participation key to peace efforts. He visited Tehran in May last year and in turn welcomed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Brazil in November.
Earlier this month, Lula said it is “not prudent to push Iran into a corner. It is prudent to make it so that Iran continues to negotiate.”
Israel’s announcement Tuesday to expand settlements infuriated Palestinians, who consider the new homes to be a major hurdle to a peace accord.
The return to construction sparked swift condemnation from key Israeli ally the United States and a number of other countries including Britain, Russia and China.
h ttp://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle09.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2010/March/middleeast_March274.xml§ion=middleeast
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by cosmo on 13.03.2010 [16:14 ]
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I saw the hand shakes of Lula with Baroso in the tv films when he visited Stockhom and they were mostly of the Masonic type.
One has to be very wary of things.
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by dit on 13.03.2010 [20:25 ]
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will visit the holocaust museum? What about the lively holocaust that is ongoing in Gazza? Is he going to visit Gazza? Is he going to visit the relatives of the Israeli war crimes in Palestine, Lebanon, and elsewhere? This Lula is a sellout to the zionists
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