UP FRONT Nuclear Continued from preceding page TRADITION. Isn't there one more worth carrying on? Friday night. The end of the week. The beginning of Shabbat. A time to relax, reflect and renew. And as much a part of this tradition as the candles and the challah was knowing the weekly Jewish News had also arrived. It brought news about the community, the nation and the world. Today, that tradition hasn't changed. In fact, it's gotten better. Each week award-winning journalists combine the warmth of community with world issues using candor and compassion to strengthen Jewish- identity and...tradition. Keep the tradition alive. Give a Jewish News subscription to a friend, a relative, as a special gift. If you don't subscribe, (and you find yourself always reading someone else's copy) maybe it's time to start your own tradition. The Jewish News. It's a tradition worth keeping. THE JEWISH NEWS No Other Publication Has More Faith r Save 40% over the newsstand price. Receive 52 award winning weekly issues plus five separate Style magazine supplements for only $31.00 (out-of-state $41.00). ❑ Yes! I want to be a faithful reader of the Jewish ❑ Why should I be the only one to enjoy? I'd like to News, I'd like to order my own subscription. send a gift subscription. Send my thoughtful gift to: My Name Name My Address Address City State Zip City State Zip Gift card to read Please send all payments along with this coupon to: Jewish News, 27676 Franklin Road, Southfield, MI 48034 Or call (313) 354-6060 and charge your order to Mastercard or Visa. 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.