<%@LANGUAGE="VBSCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> WorldTribune.com: Mobile — Bush has 'no faith' his successor will deal with Iran, wants Rice as VP

Bush has 'no faith' his successor will deal with Iran, wants Rice as VP

Friday, May 23, 2008 Free Headline Alerts

JERUSALEM — A senior Israeli official said President George W. Bush told his Israeli hosts during his visit in mid-May that Iran's nuclear weapons program could not be ignored.

The official said Bush indicated that his administration would be forced to halt Teheran's program before 2009, according to a report by Israel Army Radio.

"Bush made it clear that he wanted to end the Iranian threat during his presidency because he didn't have faith that his successor would do so," the official said.

The official, in an assessment first reported by Israel Army Radio, said the Israeli intelligence community has determined that Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney have quietly supported a U.S. air campaign against Iran.

But Bush and Cheney have encountered opposition from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a confidant of Bush, and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Bush has been pressing Ms. Rice to run with Republican Party presidential favorite Sen. John McCain. The Israeli official said Ms. Rice, who also opposed the Israeli air strike that destroyed Syria's plutonium production facility in September 2007, was said to have argued that a U.S. attack on Iran would destabilize the Middle East and destroy any chance of a GOP victory in presidential and congressional elections in November 2008.

[On Wednesday, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Israel has begun indirect peace talks with Syria. Olmert's office issued a statement that the talks were under the auspices of Turkey. "The two sides stated their intention to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind," the statement said.]

The Israeli intelligence community has assessed that Bush would set a deadline for Iranian compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions to end Teheran's uranium enrichment program. The officials said Bush might then order a massive air strike on Iran by the end of 2008.

In an unusual move, the White House quickly responded to the Israeli Army Radio report that Bush was considering an attack on Iran. The White House said although it has not ruled out a military option, the preferred U.S. option was to end Iran's nuclear weapons "through peaceful diplomatic means."

"We are working to bring tough diplomatic and economic pressure on the Iranians to get them to change their behavior and to halt their uranium enrichment program," the statement said.

During his visit, Bush told Israel's Knesset that the United States would help Israel against any Iranian threat. Bush also warned against the ambitions of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"America stands with you in firmly opposing Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions," Bush said. "Permitting the world's leading sponsor of terror to possess the world's deadliest weapon would be an unforgivable betrayal of future generations. For the sake of peace, the world must not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

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