The one thing we're also aware of is the fact that the history, at least, of negotiations with Iran, is that there is a lot of talk but not always action and followthrough. And that's why it is important for us, I think, without having set an artificial deadline, to be mindful of the fact that we're not going to have talks forever. We're not going to create a situation in which talks become an excuse for inaction while Iran proceeds with developing a nuclear--and deploying a nuclear weapon. That's something, obviously, Israel is concerned about, but it's also an issue of concern for the United States and for the international community as a whole.
My expectation would be that if we can begin discussions soon, shortly after the Iranian elections, we should have a fairly good sense by the end of the year as to whether they are moving in the right direction and whether the parties involved are making progress and that there's a good faith effort to resolve differences. That doesn't mean that every issue would be resolved by that point, but it does mean that we'll probably be able to gauge and do a reassessment by the end of the year of this approach. Okay?
Do you want to call on of your----
U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
Q. Thank you, Mr. President. Aren't you concerned that your outstretched hand has been interpreted by extremists, especially Ahmadi-nejad, Nasrallah, Meshal, as weakness? And since my colleague already asked about the deadline, if engagement fails, what then, Mr. President?
President Obama. Well, it's not clear to me why my outstretched hand would be interpreted as weakness.
Q. Qatar, an example.
President Obama. I'm sorry?
Q. The example of Qatar. They would have preferred to be on your side, and then moved to the extremists, to Iran.
President Obama. Oh, I think--yes, I'm not sure about that interpretation. Look, we've been in office a little over a hundred days now, close to 4 months. We have put forward a clear principle that where we can resolve issues through negotiations and diplomacy, we should. We didn't expect, and I don't think anybody in the international community or anybody in the Middle East, for that matter, would expect that 30 years of antagonism and suspicion between Iran and the United States would be resolved in 4 months. So we think it's very important for us to give this a chance.
Now, understand that part of the reason that it's so important for us to take a diplomatic approach is that the approach that we've been taking, which is no diplomacy, obviously, has not worked. Nobody disagrees with that. Hamas and Hizballah have gotten stronger. Iran has been pursuing its nuclear capabilities undiminished. And so not talking, that clearly hasn't worked. That's what's been tried. And so what we're going to do is try something new, which is actually engaging and reaching out to the Iranians.
The important thing is to make sure that there is a clear timetable of at which point we say these talks don't seem to be making any serious progress. It hasn't been tried before, so we don't want to prejudge that, but as I said, by the end of the year, I think we should have some sense as to whether or not these discussions are starting to yield significant benefits, whether we're starting to see serious movement on the part of the Iranians.
If that hasn't taken place, then I think the international community will see that it's not the United States or Israel or other countries that are seeking to isolate or victimize Iran. Rather, it is Iran itself, which is isolating itself by willing to--being unwilling to engage in serious discussions about how they can preserve their security without threatening other people's security, which, ultimately, is what we want to achieve.
It would--we want to achieve a situation where all countries in the region can pursue economic development and commercial ties and trade and do so without the threat that their populations are going to be subject to bombs and destruction. That's what I think the Prime Minister is interested in, that's what I'm interested in, and I hope that ends up being what the ruling officials in Iran are interested in as well.
Don Gonyea [National Public Radio]. Where's Don?
Middle East Peace Process
Q. Right here. Thank you. Mr. President, Mr. Prime Minister, can you each react to King Abdullah's statement of a week ago that we really are at a critical place in the conflict, and that if this moment isn't seized and if a peace isn't achieved now, soon, that in a year, year and a half, we could see renewed major conflict, perhaps war? And do you agree with that assessment?
President Obama. Why don't you start?
Prime Minister Netanyahu. I think we have to seize the moment, and I think we're fortunate in having a leader like President Obama and a new Government in Israel and perhaps a new understanding in the Arab world that I haven't seen in my lifetime. And you're very kind to be calling me young, but I'm more than half a century old, and in my 59 years in the life of the Jewish state, there's never been a time when Arabs and Israelis see a common threat the way we see it today and also see the need to join together in working towards peace while simultaneously defending ourselves against this common threat.
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