Israel official: Give non-proliferation pact teeth
Following report on IAEA attempts to get Israel to sign NPT treaty, local official says even such signatories as Iraq tried to gain nuclear weapons in the past
An Israeli official says the UN atomic watchdog should focus more on giving teeth to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty than on trying to get Israel to join.
The Israeli official says even treaty signatories - like Iraq - have tried in the past to gain nuclear weapons.
The official says Iran, also a treaty member, is "now doing the same." Iran denies it is building bombs.
The official's remarks on Thursday came in response to a report that the UN nuclear watchdog solicited proposals from member states on how to get Israel to sign the treaty.
Israel has never acknowledged or denied having nuclear weapons but is widely believed to possess them.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of Israel's policy of ambiguity on its nuclear capabilities.
