BERLIN: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu embarks yesterday on a three-day European tour in Germany set to be dominated by strategic differences on Iran, as leaders attempt to rescue the nuclear deal after the US withdrawal, reports AFP.
With partners in Berlin, Paris and London still reeling from President Donald Trump's decision last month to exit the hard-fought 2015 accord, Netanyahu is expected to seek European cooperation on a still-to-be-determined Plan B.
“I will meet with three leaders and I will raise two issues there: Iran and Iran,” Netanyahu said as he left Israel, calling for “increased pressure” on Tehran over its nuclear programme.
“It could be that there is not full agreement on this at the moment but in my opinion, such an understanding will take shape,” he said.
Germany, France and Britain are three of the signatories of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between world powers and Iran, aimed at keeping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Netanyahu, who has railed against the deal which offers sanctions relief in exchange for strict limits on Iran's nuclear activities, will hold talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin in the late afternoon, followed by a joint news conference.
He will continue on to Paris for meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday and British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday.
In the face of the US retreat, all three European leaders strongly defend the agreement as the best way to head off a regional arms race and have vowed with Russia and China, the two other signatory countries, to keep it alive.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas huddled with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday and insisted that Berlin “wants to maintain the nuclear agreement and make sure Iran maintains it too”.
At the same news conference, Wang launched an unvarnished attack on US reliability in global affairs under Trump.
“It is a truism of international law that international accords must be respected… (and) major countries must set an example, not do the opposite,” he said.
