In Sochi talks, Medvedev tells president Teheran attaining nuclear weapons will lead to ME arms race.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, APperes medvedev russia 248 88 ap(photo credit: AP)
President Shimon Peres told his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, on Tuesday that an Iranian nuclear bomb would be tantamount to a "flying death camp."
During a four-hour meeting at Medvedev's home in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Peres said, "The problem with Iran is not only the desire to produce nuclear weapons, but also the character of the regime... From my point of view, a nuclear weapon in Iranian hands has only one meaning - a flying death camp."
"The fact that Iran is investing billions of dollars in the development of long-range missiles, in parallel to its nuclear project, is clear indication of its intent," Peres said, according to a statement released by Beit Hanassi.
Medvedev assured Peres that Russia opposed Teheran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon, saying he was aware that such a scenario would "lead to a nuclear arms race of other Middle Eastern countries."
According to a statement released by the President's Office, the two leaders discussed the sale of Russian weapons to countries hostile to Israel, including the Islamic republic.
"President Peres stressed that the sale of these weapons could damage the delicate balance of power in the region, and requested the Russian president, in the name of the State of Israel, to reconsider Russian policy in regard to this, and stressed that Israel has concrete proof of Russian weapons being transferred to terrorist organization by Iran and Syria, especially to Hamas and Hizbullah," read the statement.
Medvedev said his government would "reexamine the request."
The two presidents also discussed the Middle East peace process and strategic ties between Moscow and Jerusalem. Medvedev said he hoped to upgrade relations to the same level as those Russia had with European states.
Russia has long wanted to host an international conference on the Middle East peace process.
Medvedev welcomed Peres by calling him "one of the world's most experienced politicians" and said he was ready to discuss both bilateral ties and regional challenges.
"We can touch on both Russian-Israeli ties and difficult issues related to the Middle East settlement and other regional problems," Medvedev said at the start of the talks. "There are more difficulties than we wish, but we still need to discuss them."
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