French President François Hollande hosted President Shimon Peres in Paris on
Friday, stating that the international community, and not Israel, would take
responsibility for preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
“Iran
is not a danger only to Israel, it is a danger to the Gulf states, to Europe and
to the whole world,” Holland stated at a joint press conference with
Peres.
Peres warned that “the Iranians are playing a dangerous game and
they are liable to lose the last chance that the international community is
giving them.”
Hollande also addressed the peace process, expressing hope
that the formation of a new Israeli government would bring an opportunity to
renew peace talks with the Palestinians.
“France stands by Israel and the
Palestinians and will help to advance peace, and will continue to invest in the
economy of the Palestinian Authority and its development,” he said He reiterated
France’s position that Israeli expanding of settlements serves an impediment to
the advancement of the peace process.
Peres stated that the two-state
solution remains the only viable option for peace, and that PA President Mahmoud
Abbas is a serious partner for peace.
“Abu Mazen [Abbas] fights terror
and is a zealous supporter of peace,” Peres stated, adding that he believes that
“the moment a new government is formed in Israel the peace process will be
renewed.”
The president said that the upcoming visit of US President
Barack Obama to Israel is an important opportunity to restart negotiations for a
peace agreement.
Peres continued in his efforts to convince the European
Union to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization.
“Hezbollah is
destroying Lebanon from within, cooperates with the dictatorship of [President
Bashar] Assad in Syria, serves as Iran’s loyal proxy and has become the biggest
collector of missiles in the world. Hezbollah carries out murderous terror
attacks around the world, including in Europe, as was seen in the Burgas terror
attack.”
Hollande stated that Europe’s united stance on Hezbollah would
be determined by Bulgaria’s investigation into July’s Burgas attack in which
five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian bus driver were killed.
The EU has
resisted pressure from the US and Israel to blacklist Hezbollah, arguing this
could destabilize Lebanon’s fragile government and contribute to instability in
the Middle East.