RAMALLAH: Israeli President Shimon Peres said that the world should adopt an economic option rather than a military one against Iran to persuade it to give up its nuclear program.
Peres told The Jerusalem Post in an interview published yesterday that Israel would push the United Nations to that effect when the General Assembly convenes next week. Peres, who will represent Israel at the General Assembly session in New York, said he would advocate neither diplomatic efforts nor military action.
“War should never be an option, or even the first option. We must first try every other option,” he told The Jerusalem Post. Rather, he said, “We have to go to the most sensitive area, the economy.” Peres said that when he addresses the General Assembly, he would say that Iran’s nuclear program represented a threat not only to Israel and the region but also to the world at large. To combat it, he said, the nations of the world must not only target the Iranian economy, but also encourage the development of alternative sources of energy.
“This will weaken countries like Iran,” he said.
During his stay in New York, Peres will meet world leaders and major figures in the American Jewish community and update them on the peace process. Peres will address world leaders on Wednesday, a day after they are scheduled to hear a speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
