Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told a United Nations forum focused on preventing the illicit trade of small arms that the issue was important -- but not as vital as the threat posed by the Jewish state.

"Preventing the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is our goal today in our meeting," Mottaki said during a general debate at the small arms conference that began Monday in New York.

"However, fighting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and combating the threats posed by those who possess such weapons, and particularly the Zionist regime, will always remain our greater goal," he said.

Mottaki's remarks on Israel deviated from a prepared text earlier distributed to the press.

Israel has never acknowledged possessing a nuclear arsenal although it is widely believed to have one by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.