Posted on 06/27/2002 5:39:12 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel's foreign intelligence chief has warned against the nuclear capabilities of Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria at a meeting with top NATO officials, the Haaretz daily reported.
Mossad chief Efraim Halevy also told a closed-door meeting of the alliance's North Atlantic Council in Brussels on Wednesday that "Islamic terror is a threat to alliance members", the newspaper said.
Halvey charged that Iran was "investing heavily in developing long-range missiles" with a range of more than 3,000 kilometers (2,000 miles) "which could reach Europe and in the future, even North America, Haaretz said.
In a hard-hitting speech fingering every country on Israel's blacklist, he told his audience Iran was developing "weapon-grade nuclear capabilities", and "large quantities of VX" nerve gas.
On Iraq, Halevy said he also had "partial evidence that they have renewed their production of VX and possibly anthrax", the newspaper reported.
Halevy said Israel was also keeping a close eye on Syria "following (its) acquisition and subsequent production of North Korean type Scud B, C and D missiles," the daily said.
"The Syrians also have B and C capabilities with relevance to surface-to-surface missiles" Halevy said, adding that most of the warheads were conventional.
But Syria, he maintained, has also produced Sarin nerve gas agents and is examining the production of VX, the report added.
Halevy also urged the NATO officials to monitor Libya closely, charging that it is "developing long-range missiles with North Korean support."
Turning to the wave of Palestinian suicide attacks at home which has prompted Israel to launch a new offensive in the West Bank last week, Halevy said these attacks have become a "quasi-legitimate form of combat".
Suicide bombings are "encouraged and abetted at the leadership level in the Palestinian camp," Haaretz quoted him as saying.
He also charged that Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority had weaved closer ties with such countries as Iran, Iraq and Syria which he said support terrorism.
Halevy accused Arafat of placing "the theme of the suicide bomber at the top of his priorities" and said that reforms promised by the embattled Palestinian leader were nothing but mere "swift window dressing moves".
| Mossad: Israel must stop Mideast states from getting nuclear arms |
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| Posted by Cinnamon Girl On Jun 27 7:29 AM with 5 comments |
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Now we have this:
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