Israel's Netanyahu urges 'red line' over nuclear Iran
Mr Netanyahu showed a drawing illustrating Iran's alleged progress towards nuclear weapons
Israel's prime minister has urged the world to draw a "clear red line" over Iran's nuclear programme.
In a speech at the UN, Benjamin Netanyahu said time was
running out to stop Tehran from having enough enriched uranium to build a
nuclear bomb.Israel and Western countries suspect Iran is seeking such a capability. Tehran says its programme is peaceful.
Earlier, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas asked the General Assembly to upgrade the Palestinians' UN status.
Mr Netanyahu told delegates at the annual meeting of the assembly that Iran could have enough material to make a nuclear bomb by the middle of next year, and a clear message needed to be sent to stop Tehran in its tracks.
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Mr Netanyahu is a man at home in US politics and his message
was more attuned to that audience. It was a message of grand
simplifications: "the great battle between the modern and the medieval" -
in other words between modernity and the forces of radical Islam.
This was the cue for Mr Netanyahu to move to his main focus, the potential threat from a nuclear armed Iran. The "hour was getting very late" he said.
The Israeli prime minister also twice made positive reference to US President Barack Obama's own comments and actions.
It was perhaps a realisation that the antipathy between the two leaders was reaching damaging proportions and also maybe a hint that, while still favouring Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, Mr Netanyahu has sampled the political mood in the US and is re-balancing himself ahead of a possible second Obama victory.
Analysis
This was the cue for Mr Netanyahu to move to his main focus, the potential threat from a nuclear armed Iran. The "hour was getting very late" he said.
The Israeli prime minister also twice made positive reference to US President Barack Obama's own comments and actions.
It was perhaps a realisation that the antipathy between the two leaders was reaching damaging proportions and also maybe a hint that, while still favouring Republican presidential contender Mitt Romney, Mr Netanyahu has sampled the political mood in the US and is re-balancing himself ahead of a possible second Obama victory.
"Red lines don't lead to war, red lines prevent war," he said. "Nothing could imperil the world more than a nuclear-armed Iran."
He said sanctions passed over the past seven years had not
affected Tehran's programme. "The hour is very late," he told delegates.
"The Iranian nuclear calendar does not take time out." He said he was convinced that faced with a "clear red line, Iran will back down".
He added that he was confident the US and Israel could chart a common path on the issue.
On Tuesday, in his own address to the General Assembly, US President Barack Obama stressed the US would "do what we must" to stop Tehran acquiring nuclear arms.
However, while the Obama administration has not ruled out a military option, it says sanctions and multilateral negotiations with Iran must still be given time to work.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US was not prepared to commit to drawing "red lines".
On Wednesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Western countries of nuclear "intimidation".
"Continued threat by the uncivilised Zionists [Israel] to resort to military action is a clear example of this bitter reality," he told the General Assembly.
President Mahmoud Abbas says a Palestinian state must be realised
But he said negotiations had begun with "regional organisations and member states" aimed at adopting a resolution making Palestine "a non-member state of the United Nations during this session".
"In our endeavour," he added, "we do not seek to delegitimise an existing state - that is Israel - but rather to assert the state that must be realised - that is Palestine."
Currently, the Palestine Liberation Organisation only has "permanent observer" status. Last year, a bid for full-member status failed because of a lack of support at the UN Security Council.
The change would allow Palestinians to participate in General Assembly debates. It would also improve their chances of joining UN agencies and the International Criminal Court.
Last year, Palestinians joined the UN cultural agency Unesco, despite Israeli and US opposition.
Mr Abbas also denounced Israeli construction in and around East Jerusalem. "It is a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Palestinian people via the demolition of their homes," he said.
Iran nuclear crisis
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Failure to achieve a breakthrough in latest round of nuclear talks exposes the wide gaps remaining between Iran and world powers, James Reynolds reports.Far apart
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