Brown calls on Iran to halt nuclear programme

Monday, 21 July 2008 12:00 AM

Prime minister Gordon Brown has today called on Iran to suspend its nuclear programme or face severe sanctions.

Mr Brown was speaking at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, for the first time as prime minister on Monday, on the final day of his visit to Jerusalem.

He described Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threat to wipe Israel off the map as "abhorrent".

Tehran must "suspend its nuclear programme and accept our negotiations or face growing isolation", Mr Brown told the Israeli parliament.

He added that Britain would "stand beside" Israel in its "fight for liberty".

At the start of his speech Mr Brown said that listening to his father's tales of the country had made him a "friend of Israel all his life".

While, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert claimed that there were was a warm relationship between the UK and Israel which was "closer than ever".

Mr Brown also spoke of the Middle East peace process and claimed it was within Israel's grasp to make peace with Palestine.

He said that Israel should seize the opportunity, claiming that the partnership with Mahmoud Abbas was the best in decades.

The prime minister also called for the capital of both Israel and Palestine to be Jerusalem.

Before his address today, Mr Brown met with the Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, defence minister Ehud Barak and foreign minister Tzipi Livni.

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• foreign policy