-Caveat Lector- >>>Hot linques at site<<< From http://www.arabia.com/article/print/0,4973,29289,00.html }}>Begin -------------------------------------------------------------- This story was printed from http://www.arabia.com, News channel. -------------------------------------------------------------- Israel's Dimona worries Arab nuclear experts Finally, pictures of Dimona - Israel's aging nuclear reactor - have been made public September 20, 2000, 06:07 PM CAIRO (AROL) - Israel's Dimona nuclear reactor, had been shrouded in secrecy. The rare imagery, taken on July 4 by Space Imaging Corporation's Ikonos satellite, was recently shown on the Web site of the Federation of American Scientists (FAS). The site exhibits more than seven overview images of the Dimona complex and the surrounding locations, one of which is believed to be the burial ground of low- level nuclear waste. ^ Nuclear experts believe this is the first time that the public has access to data and images of Israel's nuclear facility. Perhaps a more important revelation, however, is what the report described as "the most significant finding" which is that Israel's nuclear weapons stockpile probably consists of between 100 to 200 nuclear weapons. This is contrary to previous reports that Israel might possess as many as 400 N-bombs. "This, again, confirms Israel's possession of nuclear weapons," Fawzi Hammad, former head of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority said. "The most significant finding is that the data confirms that Israel has 200 nuclear warheads, proving that Dimona has a big inventory, even bigger than what some of the big powers may possess," Hammad said. Concerns in rise The images were compared to other pictures of the nuclear complex taken by a US reconnaissance satellite in 1971. The images show that modest changes have taken place in the central part of the complex over the past 30 years, but dozens of smaller buildings were built during the same period. Another important revelation made by the report, according to Abdel-Gawad Emara, a member of the Egyptian Nuclear Safety Authority, is that the reactor is aging, given that it was built in 1963, yet it continues to be the site of intensive nuclear activity, raising concerns about its safety. The report does not mention whether measures Emara called the "life extension" of the complex - a procedure which minimises the effects of aging and the likelihood of nuclear leakage - had been taken. "The danger lies in the fact that the reactor is old and has never been open to international inspection, meaning we don't know what's going on in there. Therefore, it remains a suspect nuclear threat next door," Emara said. US turns blind eye to Israel�s activities ^ Sources at the FAS said the federation's main task is to monitor nuclear activities around the globe. They added that the United States has always turned a blind eye to Israel's nuclear activity provided it does not conduct nuclear tests. It was precisely this point which topped the agenda when US Energy Secretary, Bill Richardson, visited Egypt two months ago. According to Hammad, Egyptian scientists and officials urged that pressure be put on Israel to reveal its nuclear facilities and allow international inspection. Richardson's response, according to Hammad, was; "We will look into the matter." "We demanded that the nuclear complex at Dimona, in particular, be opened to inspection because of the threats it is likely to pose to neighboring countries," Hammad said. He believes the publication of the images and data on Dimona on the FAS site is but one step towards greater transparency on Israel's secret nuclear activities, breaking the long-standing information blackout. Nuclear contamination The FAS report also coincided with fresh allegations about possible radioactive contamination caused by the burial of tonnes of radioactive waste in a disposal area one kilometer from the main Dimona facility. Meanwhile, Egyptian officials dismissed the contamination reports. Sayed Mish'al, minister of state for military production, said that Egypt "possesses the most up-to-date equipment for detecting any radioactive leakage" and that there is no evidence of nuclear contamination in this country. Despite these assurances, the FAS report has reinforced previous perceptions of Israel posing a constant threat to the region due to the fact that its nuclear facilities were never opened to international inspection. Officials at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) admit they are not operating a fully effective and comprehensive safeguard system in Israel as they are in Iraq, "because the agency has no right to implement such safeguards in Israel since Israel is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)." "It is not the weakness of the safeguard system, but rather a consequence of state sovereignty," Mohamed El-Baradei, director-general of the IAEA, said. "We are not an international nuclear police that can force its way to facilities it feels it must visit," El-Baradei said. "All we can do is report a case of non-compliance to the UN Security Council which has the legal power to make a state fulfill its obligations." Egypt call for harsher measures For the past decade, Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, has repeatedly stated that weapons of mass destruction should be banished from the region. There have also been repeated demands by Arab officials that Israel go public with facts and figures about its nuclear arsenal. Egypt's nuclear experts call for harsher measures to make Israel comply, such as diplomatic pressure, trade restrictions, air transport and economic sanctions. However, a high-ranking official holds a different view. Answering questions by university students, Osama El-Baz, President Mubarak's political adviser, said that a full and comprehensive peace "is the only deterrent to counter Israel's possession of a nuclear arsenal. Egypt will not accept that Israel remains the only nuclear power in the region," he said. Arabia on Line � 2000 all rights reserved End<{{ A<>E<>R Integrity has no need of rules. -Albert Camus (1913-1960) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The libertarian therefore considers one of his prime educational tasks is to spread the demystification and desanctification of the State among its hapless subjects. His task is to demonstrate repeatedly and in depth that not only the emperor but even the "democratic" State has no clothes; that all governments subsist by exploitive rule over the public; and that such rule is the reverse of objective necessity. He strives to show that the existence of taxation and the State necessarily sets up a class division between the exploiting rulers and the exploited ruled. He seeks to show that the task of the court intellectuals who have always supported the State has ever been to weave mystification in order to induce the public to accept State rule and that these intellectuals obtain, in return, a share in the power and pelf extracted by the rulers from their deluded subjects. [[For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, Murray N. Rothbard, Fox & Wilkes, 1973, 1978, p. 25]] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
