Merkel warns Iran of isolation

If Iran does not drop its nuclear ambitions, it risks international isolation, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said. Speaking Saturday at the Munich Conference on Security Policy, she also said Palestinian parties Fatah and Hamas, which recently struck a national unity deal, must now jointly recognize Israel’s right to exist. Merkel, who is current president of the European Council, said Iran must abide by U.N. resolutions and demands of the International Atomic Energy Agency, “with no ifs, ands or buts.” Her words came on the heels of a statement by German Jewish leader Charlotte Knobloch, who last Friday urged the German chancellor to play a leading role in pressuring Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions. In her remarks on Saturday, Merkel said Germany would stand by both Israel and Lebanon against Syrian threats. While some reports said Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora did not attend the conference because of the presence of Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, others have suggested Siniora feared he would not be able to return to Lebanon if he left.