According to Ahlul Bayt (A) News Agency – ABNA.ir – “Egypt since 1995 has been pushing for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons and their focus is not so much on Iran which is engaged in a nuclear program but on Israel which it is widely believed is the only real nuclear power in the Middle East,” Wedeman added.
“The Egyptians have been involved in negotiations prior to this summit today with the Americans to come up with some sort of formula whereby the mechanisms would be put in place for a process, it would push toward creating a nuclear-free Middle East,” CNN’s correspondent continued.
“But of course, the problem in this formula is Israel because unlike Iran, unlike Egypt, Israel was never a signatory to the NPT and therefore that is the real stumbling block,” Wedeman said.
“But Egyptian diplomats have for years now been pushing for this idea of a nuclear-free Middle East and of course, the real problem from the Egyptian standpoint is not Iran which does not have a nuclear weapon but Israel which according to many sources has more than 200 nuclear warheads. So for the Egyptians that is the preoccupation not so much Iran,” he added.
“Israel frequently says that if they lose one war, it is the end of their country. So realistically, what chances are there that they would ever conceive giving up their weapons?” CNN’s presenter asked.
“Certainly, under current circumstances, the chances are pretty much close to nil. The Israelis have always been ambiguous on their possession of nuclear weapons, although we heard the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in 2006 essentially admitting in an indirect way that they do have those weapons and by all accounts, the chances that the Israelis would give up their nuclear capacity as a result of meeting in New York are slim to none” Wedeman replied.
The real problem, from the Egyptian standpoint, is not Iran which does not have a nuclear weapon, but Israel which according to many sources has more than 200 nuclear warheads, CNN’s senior international correspondent Ben Wedeman said.
“Egypt since 1995 has been pushing for a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction including nuclear weapons and their focus is not so much on Iran which is engaged in a nuclear program but on Israel which it is widely believed is the only real nuclear power in the Middle East,” Wedeman added.
“The Egyptians have been involved in negotiations prior to this summit today with the Americans to come up with some sort of formula whereby the mechanisms would be put in place for a process, it would push toward creating a nuclear-free Middle East,” CNN’s correspondent continued.
“But of course, the problem in this formula is Israel because unlike Iran, unlike Egypt, Israel was never a signatory to the NPT and therefore that is the real stumbling block,” Wedeman said. “But Egyptian diplomats have for years now been pushing for this idea of a nuclear-free Middle East and of course, the real problem from the Egyptian standpoint is not Iran which does not have a nuclear weapon but Israel which according to many sources has more than 200 nuclear warheads. So for the Egyptians that is the preoccupation not so much Iran,” he added.
“Israel frequently says that if they lose one war, it is the end of their country. So realistically, what chances are there that they would ever conceive giving up their weapons?” CNN’s presenter asked.
“Certainly, under current circumstances, the chances are pretty much close to nil. The Israelis have always been ambiguous on their possession of nuclear weapons, although we heard the former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert in 2006 essentially admitting in an indirect way that they do have those weapons and by all accounts, the chances that the Israelis would give up their nuclear capacity as a result of meeting in New York are slim to none” Wedeman replied.
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