Israel has accused North Korea of providing weapons of mass destruction
to at least six countries in the Middle East, in violation of its arms
control commitments.
Israel's delegate to the International
Atomic Energy Agency, David Danieli, said Saturday that Pyongyang has
long been a source in the region of dangerous weapons, including
ballistic missiles. He told the United Nations body in Vienna that the
weapons are supplied through black market and covert channels.
Danieli did not name the reputed countries of destination.
He
made his remarks in a speech at a week-long conference on
non-proliferation. Delegates adopted a resolution stressing the need
for the denuclearization of North Korea.
Last month, IAEA
chief Mohamed ElBaradei said North Korea had expelled international
inspectors from the plutonium processing plant in Yongbyon, and was
preparing to restart the plant.
Danieli expressed concern that
not enough attention is being paid to what he called "dark aspects" of
North Korean behavior. He said there is growing evidence that other
states are emulating North Korea's "dangerous unlawful" practices.
A
year ago, Israel bombed what it called a nuclear facility in Syria's
remote desert site, al-Kibar. The United States says it has evidence
that North Korea helped Syria build a covert nuclear facility there.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
