Obama tells Assad to quit
Urges Israel avoid settlements and search peace with Palestinian leadership, terms Abbas a friend.
JERUSALEM (AFP) - US President Barack Obama used a major speech in Israel on Thursday to issue a new call on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down so his country s "future can begin."
"America will also insist that the Syrian people have the right to be freed from the grip of a dictator who would rather kill his own people than relinquish power," Obama said in Jerusalem.
US President Barack Obama warned sharply on Thursday that a nuclear Iran could never be contained and would be a danger for the entire world, saying he would not rule out military action.
Obama said that he favoured a diplomatic exit to the nuclear dispute but warned Iran s time was not unlimited: "I have made the position of the United States of America clear: Iran must not get a nuclear weapon.
This is not a danger that can be contained," Obama said in Jerusalem.
Obama demanded that foreign governments brand Hezbollah a "terrorist organisation," slamming the Lebanon-based militia for attacks on Israelis.
"Every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is -- a terrorist organisation," Obama said in a major speech in Israel, in remarks apparently aimed at the European Union which has declined to put the group on a list of terrorist movements.
Obama tells Israelis that in the search for peace, they have "true partners" in Palestinian leaders Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, and Salam Fayyad, the prime minister.
Obama says the two leaders have maintained security in the West Bank and that many Palestinians have rejected violence.
Obama was speaking to the people of Israel during his visit to the Mideast. His remarks came just hours after he met with Abbas and Fayyad.
Expectations are low that Obama would rekindle the peace process. __
