Post date: Jul 29, 2012 11:40:4 AM
JERUSALEM (JULY 29, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CH 10 POOL) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday (July 29).
Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for the US presidency starts his visit to Jerusalem, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier one of Romney's senior aides said Romney would back Israel if it were to decide it had to use military force to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
Speaking on Sunday Netanyahu said that sanctions alone were not enough to stop Iran's nuclear drive.
"We have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian programme by one iota. And that's why I believe that we need a strong and credible military threat coupled with the sanctions to have a chance to change that situation," Israel's prime minister told reporters.
The failure of talks between Iran and six world powers to secure a breakthrough in curbing what the West fears is a drive to develop nuclear weapons has raised international concerns that Israel may opt for a go-it-alone military strike.
In a short statement to reporters at the start of his meeting with Netanyahu, Romney said that Iran's effort to become a nuclear capable nation is one he takes "with great seriousness."
"And we look forward to chatting with you about further actions that we could take to dissuade Iran from their nuclear folly," he told Netanyahu.
Romney's stance seemed to differ from attempts by U.S. President Barack Obama to convince Israel to avoid any pre-emptive attack and let a regimen of international sanctions squeeze Iran's economy until it agrees to nuclear concessions.
Israel, widely assumed to be the Middle East's only nuclear-armed state, has warned it is only a matter of time before Iran's nuclear programme achieves a "zone of immunity" in which bombs will not be able to effectively strike uranium enrichment facilities buried deep underground. Iran says its programme is solely for peaceful purposes.
Though Washington has been pressing Israel not to launch a solo strike on Iran, Obama has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to curb its nuclear drive.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on Sunday that Obama's national security adviser had briefed Netanyahu on a U.S. contingency plan to attack Iran. A senior Israeli official denied the report.
In an effort that appeared timed to upstage Romney's visit with Israeli leaders, Obama signed a measure on Friday to strengthen U.S.-Israeli military ties and Defence Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to visit Israel later this week.