JERUSALEM, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- Any armed action against Iran will be a
"catastrophe," local daily Ha'aretz reported Tuesday, citing visiting Czech
Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg.
"I understand why Israel is saying that all the options (against Iran) are
on the table, but I do think that any armed action or any war would be really a
catastrophe," said Schwarzenberg, who was on a 30-hour visit to Israel and the
Palestinian territories.
The 71-year-old foreign minister, whose country will become the Presidency
of the Council of the European Union (EU) in several weeks, is considered a firm
supporter of Israel.
Concerning Iran's nuclear program, Schwarzenberg has called upon the EU to
exert more pressure on Tehran while avoiding the use of force.
"If we pass the next petrol station here, we will see a sign that says,
don't come near the gas station with an open fire," he said.
"In this area (the Middle East), which is the gas station of the whole
world, you don't walk with an open fire," he explained. "A war is only justified
in very extreme conditions. War is not something that should be easily started
and this I mean very seriously."
The United States, Israel and their Western allies accuse Iran of secretly
developing nuclear weapons, but Iran insists that its nuclear program is only
for generating electricity.
Washington and Israel have consistently refused to rule out thepossibility
of military strikes against Iran over its refusal to halt its nuclear program.
Earlier this year, speculations once flared up that Israel might carry out a
military strike against Iran's nuclear sites.
Iran, which calls for Israel's destruction, announced in November that the
Islamic Republic has successfully test-fired a new surface-to-surface missile,
which has a range of about 1,200 miles (2,000 km).
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also warned that his country will
give a crushing response to any invaders as it possesses new generation missiles
that can reach U.S. bases in theMiddle East and Israel.
