Posted on 06/27/2004 2:33:17 PM PDT by traumer
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, says Israel should start discussions on ridding the Middle East of nuclear weapons. He said such dialogue would help reduce frustration in the region about "what is seen to be a widespread imbalance".
Mr ElBaradei is scheduled to travel to Israel next month to discuss making the Middle East a nuclear-free zone.
He said everyone knew that Israel had a nuclear capability - even if Israel has always refused to admit it.
"We need... to rid the Middle East of all weapons of mass destruction," he told reporters on a visit to Russia.
"Israel agrees with that, but they say it has to be... after peace agreements.
"My proposal is may be we need to start to have a parallel dialogue on security at the same time when we're working on the peace process."
'Ambiguity'
Mr ElBaradei said he would like Israel, along with other Middle East countries, to open up nuclear facilities to inspections by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.
But he would not be insisting Israel admits to having nuclear weapons, when he visits the country in early July.
"I think everybody takes it as a given that Israel has a nuclear capability, if not nuclear weapons," he said.
"So whether they would like to come in the open, whether they maintain... ambiguity, it's for them to decide."
Israel has a policy of "strategic ambiguity" - neither admitting nor denying it has nuclear weapons - but analysts believe it has more than 100 nuclear weapons.
Its Arab neighbours have frequently accused the international community of double standards for requiring them to be free of nuclear weapons while doing little, in their eyes, about Israel.
Mr ElBaradei said it was "not sustainable in any region or even globally to have some [people] rely on nuclear weapons and others being told they should not have nuclear weapons".
Israel asks UN to go Muslim-free.
/sarcasm
Should Israel scrap it's nukes she wouldnt last very long at all.
Every Islamic slime in the world would be at her throat in a heartbeat.
Ploy to get Israel to lower her defenses and allow Israel's enemies to march on Israel without fear of retaliation by Israel. Plain and simple. Question is, will Israel reject this?
I agree with the U.N. Israel should dispose of their nuclear weapons. Dispose some in Iran then dispose some more in syria, lebanon, saudi arabia, Mecca and Medina.
Sounds reasonable to me. We can certainly count on the UN protecting Israel like they protected the Rwandans. < /s>
LMFAO - is this a joke?
And I know the best way for Israel to get rid of all their nuclear weapons.
And BTW, how's the Oil For Food investigation going?
Will they reject it? Sure, after they stop belly-laughing...
Absolutely right. Here's some background:
The Samson Option-- what is known about Israel's Nuclear Weapons?
And to see the UN's depth of perfidy, click the pic & work back from "last" here:
Actually, it's God :')
It's like asking to take off your shoes and walk over scorpions...
If by nuke you mean God, then of course. Just kidding around. I don't actually think nukes are God. (just in case some of you would jump down my throat.)
Give me a break. Iranians are trying to build bombs, and IAEA asks Israel to give up theirs? What idiots!
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