BICOM

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US will use all elements of American power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. “We all prefer a diplomatic resolution, and Iran’s leaders still have the opportunity to make the right decision,” Clinton told reporters last night in Jerusalem. “The choice is ultimately Iran’s to make. Our own choice is clear: We will use all elements of American power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

The latest round of talks between the six world powers and Iran, held in Moscow last month, ended without a breakthrough. The P5+1 – the permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany – want Tehran to suspend enrichment of uranium to a level of 20 per cent, close down an underground enrichment facility near the city of Qom and export its stockpile of 20 per cent enriched uranium. Iran, so far, has refused to do so.

Clinton leaves Israel for Washington today after a nine-country, 12-day trip. Whilst in Jerusalem yesterday, Clinton met with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Ehud Barak, and later with Israeli President Shimon Peres. Other than the issue of Iran, the secretary of state discussed with Israeli leaders the situation in Syria, the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the political transition in Egypt, where she spent a day and a half before coming to Jerusalem.

On Syria, Clinton said the US was working hard on a new UN resolution. She said she had spoken to UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan on Sunday ahead of his visit to Moscow. Clinton said they had agreed that the new resolution must have “consequences”. The UN observer mission’s mandate in Syria comes to an end on Friday and there must be a new resolution in order for it to be renewed. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, has accused the West of threatening to end the mission if Moscow opposed its draft resolution, which seeks to impose greater sanctions.

On Egypt, the secretary of state said both Cairo and Jerusalem shared a strong interest and commitment to their peace treaty. Clinton said she accepted that many people in Egypt were still unsure about the country’s future, and that the “amount of work [in Egypt] would be daunting for the most experienced political leaders.”

On the peace process, Clinton said an “urgent negotiated solution” was needed, as the status quo was unsustainable.