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| 04/06/2008 US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice strongly assailed Hezbollah, Iran and Syria and described them as sides that threaten Israel's security.
Speaking at the annual conference of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Rice said that the Doha Agreement over Lebanon was necessary and constituted a positive step.
“It is true that the circumstances generated from Hezbollah’s violent behavior, but there is a true chance for patriotic Lebanese to consolidate their independence, sovereignty and the democratic state,” Rice said. "Hezbollah is a self-seeking party, representing extremists who are seeking authority and do not represent the interests of Lebanese citizens,” she added. "This party is ready to do anything with the support of Syria and Iran in order to impose its control and aspiration on citizens,” the US top diplomat declared.
On the situation in occupied Palestine, Rice said that "it is unacceptable to the US, President Bush and me that our Israeli allies continue to live in fear and terror." She stressed that 60 years after the creation of the Zionist entity, "Israel has no better friend than the US…Washington's commitment to Israel's security is unshakable…It's a promise that we've kept."
The Secretary of State acknowledged that Washington had given Israel the green light to use the policy of killing and destroying against the Palestinian people. "When the second Intifada beleaguered Israel, the United States insisted that Israel has the right to defend itself," Rice said.
Moving to Iran, Rice made it clear she doesn't believe the Islamic Republic has quit pursuing a nuclear bomb. "There may be a time to engage the Iranians, but not while they continue to inch closer to a nuclear weapon under the cover of talk," she said.
Rice described Tehran's government as dangerous and called on European allies and the rest of the world to put more political, diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to persuade it to abandon its "nuclear ambitions." | 
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