Assad: We never sought nukes

By · April 28, 2008

Syria never developed a secret nuclear reactor nor sought weapons of mass destruction, Bashar Assad said.

The Syrian president, making his first public comments since last week’s disclosures by the CIA that Israel bombed a North Korean-built reactor in northern Syria last September, on Sunday dismissed the allegations as false.

“Is it logical? A nuclear site did not have protection with surface to air defenses? A nuclear site within the footprint of satellites in the middle of Syria in an open area in the desert?” Assad asked in Qatar’s al-Watan newspaper.

“The truth is that the raid was at a military site under construction,” he said, adding, “We are against mass-destruction weapons for Israel, Iran or others. Where would we use it? On Israel it would kill the Palestinians. I do not see this as logical.”

Independent experts have suggested that Syria did not fortify its suspected reactor in order to avoid drawing attention and because the building was not yet operational. Besides a nuclear program, Syria is believed to have extensive arsenals, as well as biological and chemical warheads for its long-range missiles.