|
Israel And U.S. Remain Tight-Lipped On Israel's Nuclear Arsenal
CAIRO, March 13 (IslamOnline) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon intends to urge U.S. President George W. Bush to maintain a decades-long U.S. policy of secrecy over Israel's nuclear capabilities during their meeting next week in Washington, an Israeli newspaper reported Tuesday.
Haaretez newspaper said that Sharon held his first meeting concerning nuclear policy with Atomic Energy Commission Director General Gideon Frank, the man in charge of or Israel's two declared nuclear research facilities, located at Dimona and Nahal Soreq.
The newspaper said that Sharon would follow the nuclear trail blazed by his predecessors, and would work to renew the Israeli-American "nuclear understanding" when he meets next week with Bush.
This understanding, which has been in effect since 1969, requires Israel to maintain its posture of nuclear ambiguity by not holding nuclear tests and not publicly declaring that it possesses nuclear weapons.
In exchange, Washington does not pressure Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Signing the NPT would effectively eradicate a nuclear option for Israel. Historically, U.S. presidents and Israeli prime ministers have renewed this understanding during their first meetings together.
Sharon is due to leave for the U.S. on Sunday, March 18th. The following day, he will address the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington. On Tuesday, Sharon will lunch with Bush.
In addition, the paper reported that Sharon has meetings scheduled with U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, CIA chief George Tenet, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and leaders in Congress.
On his last day in the United States, Sharon is scheduled to meet in New York with leaders of Jewish organizations and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In spite of U.S. support for the Israeli nuclear program, Washington, however, has recently tried to block Israeli-Indian military cooperation after India conducted five nuclear test explosions in May 1998, prompting its Muslim neighbor and regional rival Pakistan to carry out similar tests.
While India has a declared nuclear weapons capability, Israel has maintained an ambiguous policy neither confirming nor denying its capability. However, foreign experts estimate that Israel has at least 200 nuclear warheads with delivery systems.
|
