UP FRONT
Nuclear
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L
12
1
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1991
dustrial concerns about
building nuclear power sta-
tions.
President al-Assad, whose
longstanding goal has been
to achieve "strategic parity"
with Israel, has been se-
verely strapped for cash. At
the time of the Gulf War, his
foreign reserves were less
than $150 million and his
credit rating was zero.
But his token participation
in the Gulf War coalition
won him an immediate $1.5
billion cash injection from
Saudi Arabia, all of which
has been plowed into the
quest for both conventional
weapons and non-
conventional technology.
Said one Western diplo-
mat: "President Assad is
now picking up where
Saddam Hussein left off. Un-
til now, he has been strapped
for cash, but there is no
doubt he has revived plans
to develop some kind of
nuclear capability."
Under the regime of the
shah, non-Arab Iran
possessed the most advanced
nuclear program in the
Muslim world. But after the
Islamic revolution of 1978,
Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho-
meini abruptly halted his
nation's research program.
However, President
Hashemi Rafsanjani has
shown a renewed interest in
nuclear research, an interest
that acquired urgent
impetus following the Gulf
War.
Over the past seven mon-
ths, the Iranians "have put
out many feelers in various
directions and they have es-
tablished contacts with a
number of foreign countries
for assistance in developing
a nuclear program," said a
diplomatic source.
Iran is now working inten-
sively on a nuclear program,
using a reactor that is being
built with Chinese assis-
tance.
In addition to the Soviet
Union, China and commer-
cial organizations in the
West, Middle East states are
believed to have exploited
clandestine procurement
networks in the "emerging
nuclear states" — North
Korea, Brazil and Argentina
— to set up uranium
enrichment facilities.
"Pakistan is believed to
have up to 10 nuclear
devices ready to be assembl-
ed and the drive for an
Islamic Bomb in the Middle
East will succeed eventual-
ly," said Dr. Leshem.
Apart from the obvious
military advantages that
such arms confer, the ac-
quisition of nuclear weapons
has become "a symbol of
prestige in the developing
world generally and in the
Muslim world particularly,"
he said.
"The development of an
Islamic Bomb tends to be
linked to the Arab-Israeli
dispute, and the threat to
Israel is undoubtedly con-
siderable. By the end of the
decade there is a high prob-
ability that some Muslim
countries in the Middle East
will have nuclear weapons
and this will add a new
dimension to the military
challenge facing Israel.
Muammar Qaddafi may
still not be able to buy a
nuclear bomb, but these
days nuclear technology and
equipment — at the right
price — is more widely
available and accessible
than ever before.
While Israel is reported to
have up to 100 nuclear
warheads, it will find great
difficulty in competing with
a nuclear arms race that is
financed by oil revenue from
the Gulf.
"Technology and finance
go hand-in-hand when in
comes to nuclear develop-
ment programs," said Dr.
Leshem. "The problem for
Israel is that nuclear
capability requires an in-
credible financial capability
and in the long run there is a
limit to what it can do."
There is no doubt that it
would be extremely difficult
to impose an effective
nuclear arms control regime
on the region. But even if
such a control is instituted,
Dr. Leshem believes it will
not apply to Israel's existing
stockpile.
"I do not believe that
Israel will be treated equally
since it is faced with an -une-
qual threat," he said. "You
can't compare the military
and nuclear threat facing
the Muslim world with that
which • would face Israel."
Morgenthau BBW
Hosts Speaker
Morgenthau Chapter of
B'nai B'rith Women will host
Isaac Lakritz, executive direc-
tor of the East Central Region
for the American Thchnion
Society, noon Oct. 9 in the
club house of Knob in the
Woods Apartments.
Mr. Lakritz, who has im-
plemented the largest reset-
tlement program in the
United States, will speak on
"U.S.S.R.-Update." A mini-
luncheon will be hosted by
MOrgenthau's Book Study
Groups. There is a charge.
For reservations by Oct. 6,
call Friedel Davis, 788-1636;
or Bertha Siegel, 443-0274.