JAPAN: At the G8 summit, the United States showed no sign of pursuing a military option against Iran, according to Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi

Record ID: 464140

  • Title: JAPAN: At the G8 summit, the United States showed no sign of pursuing a military option against Iran, according to Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi
  • Date: 10th July 2008
  • Summary: SHOW: (EU) TOYAKO, JAPAN (JULY 9, 2008) (REUTERS) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER G8 SUMMIT, STANDING AT PODIUM (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI SAYING: "Since we heard the news of Iran's missile launch, that naturally became an issue we discussed at the summit. We asked the president of Russia if Russia has provided missiles for Iran, and he clearly said 'no, no, we have not provided any missile for Iran.'" CAMERAMEN FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER SILVIO BERLUSCONI SAYING: "No mention of a military option was made by the United States." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 25th July 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Reuters ID: LVA3WK3DR5VC1KVS9NZ8AYCCF0ND
  • Story Text: Speaking at a news conference after the conclusion of the Group of Eight (G8) summit in Toyako, Japan, Italian President Silvio Berlusconi said the news of Iran's missile launch Wednesday (July 9) had been debated at the summit meeting.

    "Since we heard the news of Iran's missile launch, that naturally became an issue we discussed at the summit. We asked the president of Russia if Russia has provided missiles for Iran, and he clearly said 'no, no, we have not provided any missile for Iran,'" Berlusconi said.
    Iran test-fired nine missiles on Wednesday and warned the U.S. and Israel it was ready to retaliate if they attacked the Islamic Republic over its disputed nuclear projects.
    Berlusconi said the U.S. had not made any mention to G8 world leaders at the summit that it was going to pursue a military option against Iran.

    "No mention of a military option was made by the United States," he said.
    Washington, which says Iran seeks atomic bombs, told Tehran to halt further tests if it wanted to gain world trust. Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes, for example generating electricity.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register