Israel’s Peres Hails Obama as a ‘Great President’
Israeli President Shimon Peres said that US President Barack Obama is “a great president and a great friend of Israel,” on Thursday. Peres said that the security cooperation between the US and Israel is “the best we’ve ever had” and that he has “the highest respect” for Obama for overseeing this relationship.
In an hour-long interview with American broadcaster Charlie Rose, conducted before a large audience at New York’s 92nd Street Y, Peres said that he does not want to interfere in American politics, but he is stating his opinion on Obama “because it’s true.”
Peres said that the meeting next week between Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu is “important” and that he is confident that the two leaders “will reach an agreement” on Iran.
Peres declined to deny the Haaretz report that he himself will tell Obama in their meeting Sunday, he is opposed to an attack on Iran, but did say that he supports the formula that “all options are on the table.” Otherwise, he said, Iran will not take the world’s efforts to curtail its nuclear program seriously.
Peres said that Iran is “morally corrupt” and “the center of terror in our time.” He said that to describe the Iranian leadership as “rational” is “very generous.”
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