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NATO chief: Given Iran nukes, we can't ask Israel to disarm
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said on Monday he was not certain the world can stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb. Scheffer told a conference in southeast France that given Iran's nuclear activities, said he would never expect Israel to abandon its own, "supposed nuclear arsenal". Israel is widely believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear weapons, but has never formally said so. "As we all know, Israel never admits to what it has, but I do not see very many arguments for the Jewish state to abandon its potential," he said. Scheffer said that NATO did not have a direct role to play in the issue, but said he was worried that the United Nations had failed to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. "It is a major challenge to prevent Iran from continuing to strive to get the bomb," Scheffer told a World Policy Conference organized by France's IFRI foreign affairs think tank. "I am not positive about the world being able to stop Iran from fulfilling its ambitions," he added. "My concern is that the Security Council, as we speak, is rather incapable of coming to further conclusions on further sanctions," Scheffer said. Scheffer added that he was equally concerned about Iran's drive to develop its missile capabilities. "What is as dangerous [as the nuclear program] is the missile technology which [Iran] is also developing at a fast pace," he said. "This becomes an element for the security of the United States and of course Europe. Iran has a series of medium-range missiles, which experts say could target Israel. Tehran has also said it is working on long-range missiles. Iran delivered a letter to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana later Monday which Tehran said stressed that pressure would not resolve the dispute over the Iranian nuclear program. The letter was handed to Solana, who has represented six major powers in talks with Iran over its controversial nuclear program, by Iran's ambassador to the European Union, Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said. "I do not know what is in the letter ... but the letter is now in the hands of Mr. Solana," she said. Posted by: Fred 2008-10-07 |
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