Shimon Peres: The Gaps Have Narrowed

So why wouldn ' t you want to talk about ways to stop them?
I say it can be done without military action. The problem is about unanimity. As long as the democratic world is divided, Iran will go crazy and bombs won't help. The best option is a coalition of the former alliance and maybe the Russians, too. I had a long talk with Putin in Beijing; he says we should not permit Iran to have a bomb.

His Security Council record suggests, at best, it ' s not that important to him.
If you have a minority of 14 million Muslims in Chechnya, I don't think you remain indifferent.

But how do you get them onboard?
That's an issue for the United States. I can see the anger [after the Georgia war], but I don't believe either side wants to maintain it for a long time.

But even when U.S.-Russian relations are repaired, will Moscow help on Iran?
Putin asked me about it. He said it's not clear the Iranians want to build a nuclear bomb. I said, so why are they building long-range missiles? Maybe the delivery means are no less significant than the warheads. There are many options—the minds of our leaders are richer than they seem. [Laughs]

Is corruption endemic in Israeli politics?
It's not corruption, it's anti-corruption. The fight against corruption makes waves! Until now, suspected people were not taken to court. A democratic country should be judged not by whether it has one or two or 10 corrupted people, but by whether it has the strength to fight them.

Do you think there ' s an acceptance of sexual harassment within Israel ' s political culture?
On the contrary. They are less liberal than they used to be! Before today, you would never be charged as a criminal for kissing a girl. Today, my God, be careful!