Netanyahu: Rouhani continues trying to fool the world

Iranian President Hassan Rounahi continues to try and "deceive the world," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said from Davos, shortly after the Iranian leader addressed the World Economic Forum there.While Rouhani condemns the killing of innocent people, Netanyahu said in a statement, Iran itself recently executed dozens of innocent people. While he speaks about access to essential technology, the people of Iran are prevented from having open access to the Internet. And, Netanyahu said, while Rouhani speaks of eliminating external intervention in Syria, "Iran is arming the Assad regime and directing Hezbollah to kill innocents in Syria. While Rouhani is speaking about peace with countries in the Middle East, he refused even today to recognize the existence of Israel, and his regime calls for its destruction on a daily basis." Likewise, Netanyahu said, the Iranian leader claims that Iran is interested in nuclear capability for civilian needs, but continues to maintain its centrifuges and heavy water reactor, and arms itself with intercontinental ballistic missiles whose only purpose is to carry nuclear weapons. "Rouhani admitted a decade ago he fooled the West to move the Iranian nuclear program forward, and he is doing it again today," the prime minister said, adding that the goal of the "regime of the ayatollahs hiding behind Rouhani's smiles" was to ease the sanctions without giving up plans to produce nuclear weapons. "The world must not be fooled by this deception, and must prevent Iran from getting the capability to manufacture nuclear weapons." Netanyahu is scheduled to give a speech in Davos Thursday afternoon focusing on Israel's economy and technological innovation. President Shimon Peres also responded to the Rouhani's speech, saying that "the most significant remarks were the ones he didn't make." Peres, who is scheduled to receive the Spirit of Davos Award in recognition of his contribution to the cause of peace, economics and technology at the Davos forum on Friday, said that Rouhani "didn't express support for peace in the Middle East. He is the only leader I know who didn't say clearly the time has come to make peace between Israel and the Arabs. He excluded the reference to peace and when he was asked if his vision included all countries he said it included only the ones that Iran will accept, that is some definition." The president added that "as far as Israel is concerned we are ready to make peace with the Iranian people, historically they have never been our enemies. We extend our hand for peace, including to the Iranian people, but today was a great occasion that was missed."