ARAB nations and "even the Palestinians'' should be allowed nuclear weapons as long as Israel's nuclear capabilities are tolerated, Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi said in an interview today.

Israel is widely considered to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear state, and Khadafi told Sky News television that the international community should also allow its Arab neighbours to develop nuclear weapons.

"If the Israelis have the nuclear weapons and the nuclear capabilities, then it is the right of the Egyptians, the Syrians, the Saudis to have the same - even the Palestinians should have the same because their counterparts, or their opponents, have nuclear capabilities,'' Gaddafi said.

"And, if we don't want this situation, so we'll have to disarm the Israelis from their nuclear weapons and capabilities.''

The Libyan leader said he would oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons if it acknowledges such a goal, but noted Tehran's insistence that its nuclear programme is peaceful - something that Western powers and Israel dispute.

"Iran, up to now, hasn't said it is manufacturing a nuclear weapon: Iran says it is enriching uranium,'' Khadafi said.

"If Iran were to manufacture nuclear weapons, nuclear arms, then all of us, including us, will be against them. But Iran has not said so.''



Originally published as Let Palestinians have nukes - Gaddafi