Israel's presumed nuclear weapons an issue when IAEA head visits Jewish State

SFGate ^ | 3 Jul 04 | George

[xzins]

(07-03) 10:02 PDT VIENNA, Austria (AP) --

Focusing on Israel's open secret, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency is expected to push the Jewish state this week for at least tacit acknowledgment that it has nuclear weapons or the means to make them.

Israeli policy is to neither confirm nor deny it has such arms, and the International Atomic Energy Agency will not comment on how hard IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei will press officials during his two-day visit starting Tuesday.

...snip....

"We assume that Israel has a nuclear weapons capability, if not the weapons themselves," Gwozdecky said.

ElBaradei has said that Israel should start talking seriously about a Middle East free of nuclear arms whether or not it owes up to owning them. Earlier this year, he condemned the imbalance caused in the Middle East because of "Israel sitting on nuclear weapons."

But senior diplomats familiar with the Vienna-based IAEA and the purpose of ElBaradei's visit said they did not expect his trip would change Israel's "no show, no tell" policy, particularly at a time of fears that Iran, Israel's foe, is trying to develop such weapons.

Israeli analysts warned against even low expectations.

"There is no foundation for a change in Israel's policy of nuclear ambiguity under present circumstances, and the topic is not on the agenda," wrote Gerald M. Steinberg, a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.

Evidence that that Israel has nuclear arms is overwhelming, much of it based on details and pictures leaked in 1986 by Israeli nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu. His revelations have been embellished by other leaks, research -- and by statements made by Israeli leaders that stopped just short of confirming Israel's status as a weapons state.

"Give me peace, and we will give up the atom," declared then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres in 1995, when hopes for a Middle East settlement were still alive. "If we achieve regional peace, I think we can make the Middle East free of any nuclear threat."

Israel's doctrine of "nuclear ambiguity" -- never formally confirming or denying that it has such weapons -- is meant to scare rivals from considering annihilating attack while denying them the rationale for developing their own nuclear deterrent.

.......snip.........

Because it has resisted international pressure to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Israel does not formally have to declare itself as a weapons state or agree to any curbs on its nuclear activities.

That leaves the IAEA and the rest of the world guessing about the nature and scope of Israel's program.

Experts say Israel today continues to produce atomic weapons and may already have as many as 300 warheads, as well as the capability to quickly build more.

...snip

[xzins]

doctrine of "nuclear ambiguity" --

Keep 'em guessin'. Makes sense to me.

[DonaldDuke]

Tell the Arab UN-swine to drop dead. In a forceful manner.

[Slings and Arrows]

Awww! Da poor widdle Jewhaters!

[elbucko]

Israel, as a sovereign nation, has the natural right to keep silent. If it is not attacked in a manner that would require a nuclear reply, it can remain silent. The question is moot, the answer profound.

[EGPWS]

Focusing on Israel's open secret, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency is expected to push the Jewish state this week for at least tacit acknowledgment that it has nuclear weapons or the means to make them.

The best answer from Israel would be "(leak) up a rope and suck the other end".