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White House: No Rift With Netanyahu Over Iran

By    |   Tuesday, 11 September 2012 09:55 PM EDT

The White House says President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reaffirmed that the two countries are united in their determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

Obama and Netanyahu spoke for an hour Tuesday night. The White House says they agreed to continue "close consultations going forward" regarding Iran's nuclear ambitions.

The White House denied published reports that Obama had rejected Netanyahu's request to meet with Obama in Washington next week. The White House says no such request was made or rejected.

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The announcement comes after Netanyahu criticized what he called the world's failure to spell out what would provoke a U.S.-led military strike against Iranian nuclear facilities. Netanyahu has urged the U.S. to set "red lines" for Tehran. The Obama adminisration has refused.

During the hour-long phone call tonight, Obama and Netanyahu “reaffirmed that they are united in their determination to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” the White House said in a statement.

Earlier, the Obama administration labeled as inaccurate reports in the Israeli press that Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu during the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

“They’re simply not in the city at the same time,” National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said in an e- mailed response to questions.

The Israeli government was told Obama’s schedule didn’t allow time for a meeting with Netanyahu, according to an Israeli official.

Obama and Netanyahu “are in frequent contact” and Netanyahu will meet with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and other senior officials during the visit, Vietor said.

Meeting Sought

The Israeli official, who asked not to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak on the matter, said that Israel approached the White House two weeks ago to see if it would be possible for Netanyahu to meet Obama, as he has on every other visit to the U.S.

The response was that the president’s schedule wouldn’t permit a meeting, the official said today in a telephone interview. Obama is in the middle of campaigning for a second term in the Nov. 6 election.

Obama will be at the UN on Sept. 24-25 and Netanyahu won’t arrive until later in the week, Vietor said. While the president’s UN schedule “is not finalized yet,” Obama has no planned bilateral meetings with leaders of other nations, he said.

While Netanyahu will be in the U.S. for a short time, the Israeli official said that could have included a trip to Washington to accommodate an Obama meeting.

Vietor said in a subsequent e-mailed statement that “contrary to previous press reports, there was never any request for a meeting” between Netanyahu and Obama.

The newspaper Haaretz was among the media outlets in Israel that reported earlier that the White House rejected a request by Netanyahu for a meeting.

Editor's Note: Will Obama Be Defeated? Vote Here!

Iran Concerns

Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak have indicated that, as Iran proceeds with its nuclear work and negotiations stall, Israel is considering a strike against the country’s atomic facilities. While Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, Israel and the U.S. say the Islamic Republic is trying to build an atomic weapon. Iran’s leaders have rejected Israel’s right to exist.

“The world tells Israel, wait, there’s still time, and I say, ‘Wait for what, wait until when?’” Netanyahu told reporters in Jerusalem today. “Those in the international community who refuse to put a red line before Iran don’t have the moral right to place a red light before Israel.”

Netanyahu spoke two days after Clinton said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio that the U.S. is “not setting deadlines” on negotiations with Iran. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said yesterday that it’s “not useful” to set deadlines or “red lines.”

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Tuesday, 11 September 2012 09:55 PM
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