JERUSALEM: Czech President Milos Zeman meets with Israeli President Simon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem before paying respects at the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem

Record ID: 397897

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Czech President Milos Zeman meets with Israeli President Simon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem before paying respects at the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem
  • Date: 7th October 2013
  • Summary: SINGERS VARIOUS OF ZEMAN AT YAD VASHEM
  • Embargoed: 22nd October 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA5RJDS9KXF3JZBJP9U5MSRGP3
  • Story Text: Israeli President Shimon Peres welcomed Czech President Milos Zeman in Jerusalem on Monday (October 8) and lauded strong ties between the two countries.
    Peres expressed gratitude to Zeman for Czech support for the Jewish state.

    "We as Israel owe a special thanks to Czechia [Czech Republic], for standing on our side on the most trying times. When there was embargo against Israel, we were alone, attacked without guns. Czechia [Czech Republic] was the one that came on our side. Czechia [Czech Republic] was the one that brought it for us," Peres said after an honour guard ceremony.
    Zeman expressed reservations about a planned ban by the European Union on giving financial assistance to Israeli organisations in the occupied Palestinian territories.
    The EU imposed restrictions in July, citing its frustration over the continued expansion of Jewish settlements in territory captured by Israeli forces in the 1967 Middle East War.

    "Inside (the) European Union, I have some doubts as for the European guidelines against Israel, and in my visit in some countries in the European Union, I always repeat that it reminds me, the so-called soft policy of European Union, as a repetition of appeasement policy in the 30s. And we both know pretty well, what were the consequences of appeasement policy," Zeman said.
    Zeman visited Israel when Czech prime minister 12 years ago.
    He said Prague also supported listing Hezbollah, which launched rocket attacks against Israel in past years, as a terrorist organisation.
    Zeman added that the Czech Republic was also providing transport, planes and fuel to the Sinai, and negotiated for a Czech mission in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to replace United Nations peacekeeping troops from Austria who withdrew due to safety reasons and lack of freedom of movement.

    "I am here as a politician who always supported Israel, whether it was popular or not, because if you do only popular since you are not politician. And that's why I firmly believe that my visit will continue the tradition of a friendship and deep in my heart I do believe we shall overcome against the common enemy, the international terrorism," Zeman said.
    In joint remarks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Zeman praised Israel's democratic process, and the strength of its economy, especially the growth of its technology sector.
    Netanyahu reiterated Israel's stance on Iran and its nuclear programme.

    "In a real agreement, an agreement that produces real results, that produces real disarmament from nuclear weapons of Iran, requires that they give up completely centrifuges and the plutonium route. If they do that I think we can all be satisfied and we can all support such an achievement."
    Last week at the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu declared that the Jewish state was ready to stand alone to deny Tehran an atomic weapon.
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