WarSclerotic

OTTAWA – Four days before a much anticipated meeting with US President Barack Obama expected to focus on Iran, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spelled out Friday the conditions Israel felt Iran should meet before the world could once again negotiate with Tehran over its nuclear program.

“Right now Iran is feeling the pressure of economic sanctions, and it could try to evade that pressure by entering talks,” Netanyahu told a press conference after emerging from a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Israel wanted to see a “peaceful solution” to the Iranian crisis, he said, but Tehran must be kept from using the negotiations again to gain more time and advance its nuclear program.

To avoid “falling into this trap,” Netanyahu said, the international community should place three conditions on Tehran before entering negotiations: Iran must dismantle its nuclear facility at Qom; stop all uranium enrichment inside the country; and remove all uranium already enriched beyond 3.5% out of the country.

“Anything short of that would enable Iran to continue its nuclear program by other means, which is exactly what they have done up to now,” Netanyahu said.

The Prime Minister’s comments came amid voices being raised in Iran about a willingness to negotiate over its nuclear program, as the latest round of stiff sanctions is being felt inside the Islamic Republic.

Netanyahu dismissed speculation that during his meeting with Obama on Monday he will ask for the US to spell out Washington’s red lines regarding Iran, beyond which it would consider military action.

“I have no intention of establishing red lines for the US,”Netanyahu said, adding that Israel wanted to maintain its own freedom of action “against threats to eliminate us from the map.” Netanyahu’s comment was an acknowledgment that if Israel asked for a great deal of specificity in US plans, American would then ask the same of Israel, thereby significantly reducing the country’s maneuverability.

Harper, considered perhaps Israel’s best friend among the leaders of the world, skirted the issue when asked directly whether a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran would be acceptable to Canada.

Saying that Canada has been “very clear about the dangers of a nuclear armed Iran, its intentions and capabilites,” Harper added that in terms of “hypothetical situations” Canada’s position was clear: “We of course recognize Israel’s right to defend itself as a sovereign state, as a Jewish state. That said, we want to see a peaceful resolution of this issue, and we want to see every action taken to get a peaceful solution to the situation.”

Senior officials in the Prime Minister’s Office described the reception Netanyahu received in Ottawa, including a welcoming ceremony with military honors at Parliament Hill, as “exceptionally warm.”

Netanyahu acknowledged the extremely strong Canadian-Israeli ties, telling Harper that he was carrying “very warm feelings” for Canada “not only from myself, and my delegation, but also from the people of Israel.

“Perhaps when we speak of the difficulties in our area and troubles we all face, it is particularly encouraging to come to Canada, and later on the United States, and know that I stand among friends who share the same values and the same goals. You are such a friend,” Netanyahu said to Harper.

Harper met Netanyahu for a private meeting before the press conference, and then hosted him for an informal luncheon afterward. On Saturday he and his wife invited Netanyahu and his wife to lunch at his official residence.

Netanyahu, while still in Ottawa Sunday morning, is expected to listen to Obama’s speech, before meeting Canadian Jewish leaders, and then Opposition head Bob Rae. He is scheduled to leave Ottawa for Washington late Sunday afternoon.