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July 6, 2009

Biden Suggests U.S. Won’t Stop Israeli Attack on Iran
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Vice-President Joe Biden has said the U.S. wouldn’t prevent Israel from
attacking Iran if the Israeli government decides it’s an existential
threat. Biden made the comment during an interview with ABC News host
George Stephanopoulos.

Vice-President Joe Biden: “If the Netanyahu government decides to take a
course of action different than the one being pursued now, that is their
sovereign right to do that. That is not our choice.”

George Stephanopoulos: “But just to be clear here, if the Israelis
decide Iran is an existential threat, they have to take out the nuclear
program, militarily the United States will not stand in the way?”

Vice-President Biden: “Look, we cannot dictate to another sovereign
nation what they can and cannot do when they make a determination, if
they make a determination that they’re existentially threatened and
their survival is threatened by another country.”

George Stephanopoulos: “You say we can’t dictate, but we can, if we
choose to, deny over-flight rights here in Iraq. We can stand in the way
of a military strike.”

Vice-President Biden: “I’m not going to speculate, George, on those
issues, other than to say Israel has a right to determine what’s in its
interests, and we have a right and we will determine what’s in our
interests.”

Biden spoke during a visit to Iraq, where on Friday he was greeted by
hundreds of Iraqi protesters in Baghdad calling for an end to the U.S.
occupation.



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