Attack Iran the day Iraq war ends, demands Israel

From Stephen Farrell, Robert Thomson & Danielle Haas
The Times, London   Tuesday, November 05, 2002
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-469972,00.html

Jerusalem — Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called on
the international community to target Iran as soon as the imminent
conflict with Iraq is complete.

In an interview with The Times, Mr Sharon insisted that Tehran, one
of the 'axis of evil' powers identified by President Bush, should be put
under pressure 'the day after' action against Baghdad ends because
of its role as a 'centre of world terror'.

He also issued his clearest warning yet that Israel would strike back
if attacked by Iraqi chemical or biological weapons, no matter how much
Washington sought to keep its controversial Middle Eastern ally out of
any war in Iraq.

He made clear that western Iraq would be one of the first areas targeted
by the US in any invasion, saying that lessons had been learnt from
strategic mistakes of the 1991 Gulf War when Iraq successfully fired
39 Scud missiles into Israel.

Mr Sharon, 74, was speaking as he conducted high-level negotiations
to keep his government afloat after the desertion of his centrist coalition
partners. Last night he survived three no-confidence votes, giving him
more time to forge a coalition with small right-wing parties. He rejected
calls for early elections.

The Knesset also approved the appointment of Shaul Mofaz, the hawkish
former Israeli Army chief, as Defence Minister.

But even as the Knesset voted, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew
himself up inside a shopping centre in central Israel, killing at least one
other person and injuring 20.

In other significant changes of tone and policy, Mr Sharon told The Times
that:

• Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, could have an ongoing role as a
'symbol', but could not have a role overseeing financial or security
functions. This was a departure from previous statements that Mr Arafat
was entirely 'irrelevant'.

•   Mr Sharon himself would continue to lead the country, elections willing,
for up to five years. There had been widespread speculation that he would
retire within two years.

•   The Israeli Government is considering an unprecedented crackdown
on the Islamic movement within its own borders, fearing that a 'small
minority' of Israeli Arabs are turning against the country.

He asserted that while Washington was inevitably focusing on Saddam
Hussein, whom he called 'insane' the White House shared his concern
that Iran was also seeking weapons of mass destruction, and developing
missiles capable of striking Israel and even Europe.

"I talked about these things with Vladimir Putin a few days ago and I
have been to Washington and one of the things I talked about was what
will be (sic) later, if Iraq is going to be disarmed.

"One of the things I mentioned is that the free world should take all the
necessary steps to prevent irresponsible countries from having weapons
of mass destruction: Iran, Iraq of course, and Libya is working on a
nuclear weapon."

He accused Tehran of sponsoring the Lebanese Shia militia, Hezbollah,
which he claimed had up to 10,000 short-range missiles stationed in
Lebanon ready to strike Israeli towns, of smuggling weapons to the
Palestinian Authority, and of trying to turn Israel's one million Arab
citizens against the Jewish state.

"Iran is a centre of world terror and Iran makes every effort to possess
weapons of mass destruction on the one hand and ballistic missiles,"
he said. "That is a danger to the Middle East, to Israel and a danger
to Europe.

"They are working now on a ballistic missile of 1,300km. They have
almost reached this range already. They were talking in the past about
2,500km and even 5,000km."

Mr Sharon made it abundantly clear that he would not hold back from
retaliating, as Israel did at Washington's behest in 1991, if his nation
came under serious attack. "First, we understand the sensitivity.
We are living here, we were born here. Israel will make every effort
not to interfere," he said.

But he warned: "If Israel, and I made it very clear, is attacked by
weapons of mass destruction . . . Israel will react. Is it clear? I believe
that they understand that Israel will not be able not to defend itself."

Mr Sharon reiterated that he was willing to work toward the eventual
creation of a Palestinian state, but demanded that progress toward
it be measured by concrete improvements in security on the ground.