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| Royal: Iran's nuclear activity endangers Israel
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PARIS (EJP)--- French Socialist presidential candidate Segolène Royal clarified her position on the Iranian nuclear program on Sunday, claiming that it was “a danger to Israel, to peace and to the world.”
“We must do everything to prevent Iran from getting military nuclear” facilities, said the Socialist leader on Jewish radio Radio J, stressing that although military options “could not be overruled”, it was still too soon to openly examine them.
“France has chosen for now the diplomatic option, which is obviously preferable. Before we move on and make military threats, which are part of a later phase, we have to complete the diplomatic process, and hope that it will be successful. Evaluating military options beforehand will discredit the diplomatic process,” said Royal adding that “military threats would be preceded by financial restrictions.”
According to polls, Segolene Royal is, along with Nicolas Sarkozy, a clear favourite candidate for the next presidential elections in April and May 2007 and local Jewish leaders as well as Israeli envoys in France have been waiting to hear her positions on Middle-Eastern issues for months. Royal has avoided commenting the Iranian nuclear threat and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict up until October, expressing no view on last summer’s conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
More expected
CRIF and Israeli embassy sources told EJP that they were expecting to learn more on Royal’s views and intentions by watching on Tuesday the last of the three socialist primary election televised debates, which will focus on foreign policies.
But over the past two weeks Royal has started revealing her views on the Middle-East, first evaluating that the EU must resume its financial support to the PA as soon as possible. Then, when commenting the current IDF operation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the socialist leader said “Israel had the right to defend itself”.
“Israel is entitled to have security. Since its security is still fragile, I recognise Israel’s right to guaranty its own safety. But we cannot enter the logic of escalation: provocation and counterattacks over and over again. We have to assure that things stay at their just place and measure.”
“I think this conflict must become a priority to the EU. Europe can work on the idea of a sub-group, with members from Italy, Spain, France, Germany and other countries, that will mediate between Palestinians and Israelis.”
Royal announced a visit to Israel and the PA for the upcoming weeks.
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