The aircraft of Iran's President Hassan Rouhani, left, stands alongside the aircraft of Netanyahu in Davos[/caption]Zurich air traffic controllers may have inadvertently succeeded where diplomats have failed for decades: to bring Israelis and Iranians together.
As the jets of Iranian President�Hassan Rouhani�and Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu�arrived in Switzerland today to take their leaders to the World Economic Forum, their planes were parked side-by-side under cloudy skies.
Rouhani, the first Iranian leader in a decade to visit Davos for the World Economic Forum, will be looking for deals to boost an economy that shrank more than 5 percent in the last fiscal year through March under the weight of international sanctions. He�s due to address the forum in the ski resort tomorrow during a session called �Iran in the World.�
Netanyahu, among the most outspoken critics of the Iranian government, is seeking to keep the sanctions in place. He has called Rouhani a �wolf in sheep�s clothing� and urged the world to be wary of his �charm offensive.�
As Netanyahu and Israeli President�Shimon Peres�were whisked into helicopters waiting for them, the journalists and staff from both planes took photos of each other.
An Israeli journalist shouted out in English �How Are You?� to the Iranians at the top of the aircraft stairs. One of them responded, �Fine, thank you. How are you?�
Rouhani took office in August after winning an election on a pledge to end the country�s isolation under his predecessor,�Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. During his first 100 days, he broke taboos by speaking on the phone with his U.S. counterpart�Barack Obama.
The Iranian government has also eased press restrictions, limited anti-Western rhetoric and wished Jews a Happy Jewish New Year from the Twitter Inc. account of Foreign MinisterMohammad Javad Zarif.
Zurich airport officials weren�t taking credit for the Swiss encounter. The place where the planes were parked is reserved for heads of state during the World Economic Forum, said airport spokeswoman�Sonja Zoechling.
By Bloomberg�
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