Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 November 2008
129 Deputy Charles Flanagan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views, based on evidence, advice and other sources, on which Middle East countries possess nuclear weapons, chemical weapons and biological weapons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38454/08]
View answerThe Government has no intelligence sources of its own in the Middle East from which to determine the truth of the various and widespread allegations made about weapons programmes in the Middle East, which is a highly militarised and conflict-prone region.
It is widely believed that Israel possesses a nuclear weapon capability, but this has never been formally confirmed. There is widespread international concern, which the Government shares, that Iran's civil nuclear programme may be being developed in such a way as to achieve a nuclear weapons capability. As I have previously reported to the House, the EU and others are active in trying to persuade Iran to abandon those elements of its programme.
Libya has admitted that it was formerly attempting to develop nuclear weapons, and has dismantled its programme under international supervision. The International Atomic Energy Agency is investigating reports of undeclared nuclear research activity in Syria, which Syria has denied, and no conclusive evidence has as yet emerged.
The former regime in Iraq was at one stage engaged in research into nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, but the stage of development reached, and when these programmes were abandoned, are matters of dispute and controversy. There is no suggestion that such activities continue in Iraq today.
The position of the Government has been clear and consistent. The Middle East is an area of high tension which contains many regional conflicts and has seen many wars. The escalation of military capabilities to new heights in such a volatile region can only make the situation more dangerous. We support the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction, to include all states in the region.
