Iran president: NATO’s missile shield in Turkey to defend Israel

The main goal of NATO to deploy a missile defense shield in Turkey is to defend Israel, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview with Iranian television channel 2, IRNA reported on Wednesday.

"This act of NATO is not in Turkey's benefit, because they (NATO) do not like regional countries to achieve progress," Ahmadinejad said.

The president further noted that the occupation of other territories and efforts to protect Israel are two main reasons of the Alliance's actions.

He continued that the deployment of missile defense shield is aimed to defend Israel and this is an act against Iran, so that Iranian missiles cannot reach that country.

"These countries are making mistake in defending the Zionist regime, because the regime would not stay long," Ahmadinejad said.

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal announced the country's intention to host the apparatus on Sept. 2. Following Ankara's announcement, Russia criticized the plan and denounced NATO's efforts to advance eastward.

In September 2010, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen proposed to develop a 200-million-euro (253-million-dollar) US-backed missile system around Europe against possible attacks by "rogue states."

The NATO chief then named Iran's nuclear program as one of the reasons that justify the necessity of a missile system.


/Trend/