President Peres to President Hollande:
"The Iranians are playing a dangerous game and they are liable to lose the last chance the international community is giving them"
President Hollande to President Peres:
"If Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons, the international community, not Israel, will bear the responsibility to stop it! Iran is not just a danger to Israel but a danger to the Gulf Region, to Europe and to the whole world."
In relation to the investigation into the terror attack in Burgas, President Hollande said:
The position of the European Union with regards to Hezbollah will be determined by the findings of the investigation in Bulgaria.
The President of the State of Israel, President Shimon Peres, conducted a diplomatic work meeting in Paris today with the President of France, François Hollande, at the Elysee Palace. President Hollande invited President Peres and the senior members of his delegation to an extended working lunch which was also attended by the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and senior staff from the Elysee Palace. At the end of the lunch the two presidents held a long private meeting after which they addressed the media in a joint press conference. The central issues discussed during the meeting were the Iranian nuclear threat, the situation in Syria and Lebanon, the peace process with the Palestinians and the strengthening of the defense, diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and France.
President Hollande began the meeting by welcoming President Peres and said, "It is a great honor and joy to host you at the Elysee Palace. We are full of admiration for your work towards peace and for the good of the world." President Hollande added that, "Next week we will mark one year since the murder in Toulose and we will bow our heads in memory of the victims of terrorism."
President Hollande addressed the formation of a government in Israel and said that he hoped the new government will move forward on the peace process with the Palestinians and will forgo prior conditions for negotiations, "France stands by Israel and the Palestinians and will help, in any way she can, to progress peace. France will continue to invest in the Palestinian Authority economy and in its development." President Hollande said once again that the building of settlements creates divisions and makes progressing with the peace process more difficult. President Peres stressed that there is no solution other than the two state solution and that Israel has a real and brave partner for peace, "Abu Mazen is a supporter of peace and an opponent of terror. I believe that when a new government is formed in Israel the peace process will start once again. We are anticipating the visit by President Obama to Israel; his visit is an important opportunity to restart the negotiations."
With regards to Iran President Hollande said to President Peres, "France's position is that we should strengthen the economic sanctions against Iran, they are effective, they are working and we have no doubt that if Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons, the international community, not Israel, will bear the responsibility to stop it! Iran is not just a danger to Israel but a danger to the Gulf Region, to Europe and to the whole world."
President Peres praised the French president for his strong stance, together with the United States of America, against Iran and said that Iran is developing nuclear weapons for mass destruction. President Peres added that Iran was developing long range missiles, hangs people in the streets, operates terror networks across the world and disregards human rights, "We must monitor the means of delivery. Why is Iran developing long range missiles which can carry nuclear warheads? There is no doubt that we must monitor both the uranium enrichment and the means of delivery." President stressed, once again, that all options remain on the table with regards to the Iranian threat.
With regards to the situation in Syria President Peres said that under the noses of the world Assad built a nuclear reactor with North Korean assistance and acquired an enormous chemical weapons stockpile which is stored across the country. President Peres said that the issue of Syria's chemical weapons must be monitored too as those weapons could fall into irresponsible hands and lead to the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.
With regards to Hezbollah President Peres said, "Hezbollah is destroying Lebanon from within, it is cooperating with Assad's dictatorship in Syria, is a loyal proxy of Iran and has become the world's largest collector of missiles. Hezbollah is responsible for murderous terror attacks across the world, including on European soil as we witnessed in Burgas." During the joint statements President Hollande said that the position of the European Union regarding Hezbollah will be determined by the findings of the Bulgarian investigation.
It should be noted that at the end of the lunch meeting, President Peres extended a formal invitation to President Hollande to come to Israel on a state visit. President Hollande responded positively to the invitation and said that he intends to accept the invitation and visit Israel during 2013.
President Peres will remain in Paris and conduct a series of meetings with French members of parliament, leaders of the Jewish community in France and business leaders. On Tuesday President Peres will deliver a historic speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, he will be the first Israeli leader to deliver a speech before the full plenum of the EU Parliament in its current format.
Photo Credit: Moshe Milner/GPO
