Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian President Bashar Assad (AP)
Ephraim Halevy, former director of the Mossad, Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations, February 2, 2007:
“Large parts of the Iranian public are not pleased with Ahmadinejad, and their share of the population is only growing. His provocative rhetoric, leading to global conflict, provokes antagonism among Iranians… Khamenei can limit his [Ahmadinejad] authority substantially and so can the parliament, which has already done so when refused to approve the nomination of some ministers. There is no doubt – his stature is not what it used to be… we need to present them [the Iranians] with an alternative to the nuclear plan, i.e. enter negotiations. Saudi Arabia and Iran recently held political talks. The two countries are sworn enemies, as Saudi Arabia perceives Iran – rightly so- as a real threat, yet, they found the way to sit and talk, and so should we.”
