Israeli PM urges international moves against Iran

ITALY: Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called on the international community to coordinate efforts to stop Iran from building nuclear weapons.

During talks in Rome with Italian counterpart Romano Prodi, Olmert hoped to convince Italy to back sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme.

He said they both agreed that "coordinated efforts are needed to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power".

Prodi pledged that as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from next month Italy would help lay out sanctions so Iran cannot make and use nuclear power for aggressive purposes.

Prodi appeared to have hardened his stance since a visit to Egypt last month, when he said he was open to dialogue with Iran and its regional ally Syria to reach a more stable Middle East.

"Our ears are always open to listen, and we are ready for dialogue," Prodi had told a joint news conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Prodi also agreed to go slow in efforts to convene international talks for peace in the Middle East, he said in comments after meeting with Olmert. "The time is not ripe for an international conference" of the type proposed by Spain and previously backed by France and Italy as part of a broader Middle East peace initiative launched last month, Prodi told journalists.

Prodi said he and Olmert agreed that the current situation in the unstable region was "unacceptable", but that a series of "small steps" was the way to tackle it - rather than a large-scale initiative like the Spanish proposal.

Rome, Thursday, Reuters