AFP
Thursday, December 7, 2006

Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Thursday that the Jewish state will remain mum on whether it has atomic weapons, following comments by the incoming US defense secretary that the Jewish state was a nuclear power.

"Israel will not say or not say whether we have nuclear weapons," Peres told public radio. "It suffices that one fears that we have them and that fear in itself constitutes an element of dissuasion."

The Jewish state is widely considered to be the Middle East's sole nuclear power, but has never confirmed or denied the suspicions.

"Israel is the only country threatened with destruction. Israel does not threaten any other state," Peres said.

"These statements change nothing fundamental," he said, referring to Tuesday comments by Robert Gates, a day before he was approved by the Senate to replace Donald Rumsfeld as defense secretary.

During his Senate confirmation hearing, Gates referred to Israel as one of the region's nuclear powers, along with Pakistan and Russia.