Brown addresses Israel parliament

Updated 14.13 Mon Jul 21 2008
Keywords: Iran, Israel, parliament, speech, Gordon Brown

Gordon Brown has become the first British Prime Minister to address the Israeli parliament.

He told the Knesset the UK and other partners are ready to ratchet up sanctions and warned Tehran it faces a "clear choice".

Mr Brown praised Israel's "monumental" achievements and said he considered himself a lifelong "friend" since early links through his father, a church minister in Scotland who visited the new state regularly

Mr Brown said: "We say with one voice: it is totally abhorrent for the president of Iran to call for Israel to be wiped from the map of the world."

He added; "Our country will continue to lead, with the US and our European partners, in our determination to prevent an Iranian nuclear weapons programme.

"We stand ready to lead in taking further sanctions and will ask the whole international community to join us.

"Iran has a clear choice to make: suspend its nuclear weapons programme and accept our offer of negotiations or face growing isolation and the collective response, not just of one nation, but of all nations round the world."

Mr Brown also praised Israel's "monumental" achievements and said he considered himself a lifelong "friend" since early links through his father, a church minister in Scotland who visited the new state regularly.

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