Israel and the United States plan to approach European parliamentarians in a campaign to stop Iran´s nuclear weapons program.

Israel´s Knesset and the U.S. Congress have begun a joint effort to persuade European Union deputies of the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapons program. The Knesset and Congress plan to send representatives to Europe for meetings in Brussels with EU parliamentarians on defense and security committees.

The Knesset program was spawned in the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and would seek to focus on lobbying parliamentarians from Britain and Germany. Members of the committee discussed the effort with leading members of Congress.

Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee member Yuval Steinitz said the panel hoped that EU deputies would be persuaded to pressure Brussels as well as EU member states to intensify efforts against Iran. Steinitz said that Iran has not honored agreements made to the EU for a halt in uranium enrichment and other nuclear activities, Middle East Newsline reported.

Sen. Jon Kyle, a Republican from Nevada, was appointed to lead the Congress-Knesset panel. Kyle said during a meeting of the panel on Jan. 11 that the EU was required for any diplomatic offensive to stop Iran´s nuclear weapons program.

"It is very important that in addition to the president and the prime minister there are ties between Congress and the Knesset," Steinitz said.

Steinitz said the joint panel has promoted several Israeli-U.S. military projects. They include the Mobile Tactical High-Energy Laser, the Arrow-2 improvement program and legislation to halt investment to Iran.

"In 4-5 years, the Nautilus [M-THEL] will be able to shoot down Kassams and could be used in Iraq," Steinitz, referring to the short- range Palestinian missile, said. (Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc. 01/30/05)