(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-10 16:58

TEL AVIV - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert plans to use a visit to Germany beginning on Sunday to lobby for tougher measures to force Iran to curb a nuclear program he has called a threat to Israel's existence.

Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert attends a Ministerial Committee meeting in Jerusalem February 6, 2008. [Agencies]

"Israel believes that this is the time for more pressure on Tehran. It's time to upgrade the economic and diplomatic pressure," said a senior Israeli official, who declined to be named.

"This has to be done, obviously, at the United Nations, but also bilaterally," said the official, urging countries that have economic interests in Iran "to exert their own pressure."

Germany has traditionally been among the top exporters to Iran, sending 4.1 billion euros ($5.95 billion) of goods in 2006.

The United States has accused Iran of having a secret program to build nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

The Israeli official said the Iranian issue would likely "play a large part" in Olmert's talks on Tuesday with Chancellor Angela Merkel. A German government spokesman also said Iran would be a major topic of discussion.

Last month, Germany joined the five permanent UN Security Council members - Britain, the United States, France, Russia and China - in circulating a proposal for a third sanctions resolution against Iran calling for mandatory travel bans, asset freezes and vigilance on all banks in the Islamic Republic.

Diplomats believe a vote is weeks away, with Washington frustrated at the pace at which the council is considering the draft and some countries' desire to wait until a report on Iran due later this month from the UN's nuclear watchdog.

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