Mohammed El Baradei, the chief Nuclear Watchdog for the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today (Thursday). El Baradei claimed Sharon agreed to make Israel into a nuclear-free zone as a later stage of the so-called Road Map.
"The prime minister this morning affirmed to me that Israel's policy [is] that in the context of peace, establishment of peace in the Middle East, Israel will be looking for establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East," El Baradei said.
El Baradei said that Sharon told him arms-control issues are a part of the second stage in the US-backed road map. "This is a good vision, and I hope we can turn it into concrete steps," El Baradei said. "This is the first time I heard this statement from an Israeli prime minister, and I find it a positive development,” El Baradei told students at Hebrew University.
The head of the watchdog agency also admitted that terror groups most probably have nuclear weapons already. He said Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who sold nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya, had commercial contacts with at least 20 different countries and large companies. "This work could not be the work of Khan alone. The IAEA only learned about some of his activities 18 months ago when Khan's contacts with Libya came to light. The Americans and others had, however, been tracking Pakistani's contacts for some time before that."
"The prime minister this morning affirmed to me that Israel's policy [is] that in the context of peace, establishment of peace in the Middle East, Israel will be looking for establishment of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East," El Baradei said.
El Baradei said that Sharon told him arms-control issues are a part of the second stage in the US-backed road map. "This is a good vision, and I hope we can turn it into concrete steps," El Baradei said. "This is the first time I heard this statement from an Israeli prime minister, and I find it a positive development,” El Baradei told students at Hebrew University.
The head of the watchdog agency also admitted that terror groups most probably have nuclear weapons already. He said Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, who sold nuclear secrets to Iran and Libya, had commercial contacts with at least 20 different countries and large companies. "This work could not be the work of Khan alone. The IAEA only learned about some of his activities 18 months ago when Khan's contacts with Libya came to light. The Americans and others had, however, been tracking Pakistani's contacts for some time before that."