 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
IAEA Says Israeli Nuclear Status None Of Its Concern
Vienna (RIA Novosti) Dec 14, 2006 The UN nuclear watchdog said Wednesday it will not respond to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's remark implying that Israel has nuclear weapons, something the Jewish state has never officially admitted. In an interview with the SAT-2 television channel ahead of his visit to Germany Monday, Olmert said: "Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. Can you say that this is on the same level, when you aspire to have nuclear weapons, as America, France, Israel, Russia?" The remark, made against the backdrop of an Iran-hosted conference on the Holocaust, was widely interpreted as confirming Israel's nuclear power status, but Olmert's aides later dismissed that reading as unfounded. Independent analysts have said Israel holds between 80 and 200 nuclear warheads, and may be the world's sixth-largest nuclear power, but Israeli authorities have never confirmed nor denied possessing a nuclear arsenal. Israel and the West suspect Iran of pursuing a nuclear weapons program, and Olmert's hint was probably intended to deter the Islamic Republic from using its potential nuclear capability against Israel, some have argued. Many analysts believe, however, that public confirmation of Israel's assumed nuclear status could trigger an arms race across the Middle East, undermining the global non-proliferation regime. Sergei Markov of Russia's Public Chamber, for one, believes that Israel's going public about its nuclear arsenal would come as no revelation, and is unlikely to entail any sanctions on the part of the UN nuclear watchdog, but that it could represent a serious setback for non-proliferation. "This may lead to a further softening of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, which, unfortunately, would be a very dangerous development indeed," Markov told RIA Novosti. Iran and other regional foes of Israel have repeatedly accused the West of double standards in trying to prevent them from acquiring nuclear capabilities while turning a blind eye to Israel's alleged arsenal.
Source: RIA Novosti Related Links IAEA Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com 
Seoul Urges North Korea To Take Tangible Steps At Nuke Talks
Seoul (AFP) Dec 13, 2006South Korea's new foreign minister on Wednesday urged North Korea to take "tangible" steps towards nuclear disarmament when six-party talks resume next week after a 13-month break. Song Min-Soon said South Korea and its allies were ready to show flexibility in offering diplomatic and economic incentives if the North is committed to scrapping its nuclear weapons programme. |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2006 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA PortalReports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additionalcopyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
The Israeli prime minister provoked an outcry in Israel on Monday by including his country on a list of states possessing nuclear weapons during an interview with German television. He told N24 Sat1 television: "Iran openly, explicitly and publicly threatens to wipe Israel off the map. "Can you say that this is the same level, when they are aspiring to have nuclear weapons, as France, America, Russia and Israel?" Olmert on Tuesday repeated the official line that "Israel will not be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons to the region".">