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Senior Israeli official Shalom Turjeman. (Dan Keinan)
Last update - 18:20 07/04/2008
U.S., Israel concerned N. Korean nuclear know-how reached Iran
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, North Korea, Syria 

The United States and Israel seek to pressure North Korea to cease its nuclear cooperation with Iran, which is one of the motives behind their agreement to disclose details on the air-force strike in Syria last September. According to foreign press reports, the strike targeted a nuclear installation built with North Korean assistance.

According to information obtained by Washington and Jerusalem, North Korea transferred technology and nuclear materials to Iran to aid Tehran's secret nuclear arms program.

U.S. and Israeli officials agreed last week that the talks between the U.S. and North Korea, scheduled to take place in Singapore tomorrow, should be used to pressure Pyongyang to disclose its nuclear cooperation with countries in the Middle East. As a pressure tactic, U.S. officials could reveal details of North Korea's cooperation with Syria to Congress.
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Foreign news sources reported that in addition to helping Syria build the nuclear facility that Israel attacked, North Korea sent engineers and various materials to the site. Israel and the U.S. fear that Pyongyang could be doing even more to boost Iran's nuclear program.

During their talks in Washington last week with high-ranking officials, Yoram Turbowicz and Shalom Turjeman, advisers to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, agreed that the details of the air strike would be released by the Americans. Israel would continue to decline commenting on the matter, as it has done since September, and would not alter its censorship policy.

Syria claimed that the facility hit was an unused military installation and denied having a nuclear development program. North Korea also denies exporting its nuclear expertise. Iran claims that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

In the past few months Olmert has met with key world leaders to discuss Syria.

The most important meeting in Olmert's "campaign" to defend the Israeli air strike and create a united international front against Syria was with Russian President Vladimir Putin. On October 10, about a month after the attack, the two leaders spoke on the phone about Syria and other issues. They agreed that due to the sensitivity of the matter, talks should be continued face to face.

On October 18, Olmert flew to Moscow for a five-hour visit. It had been announced, to much surprise, the day before. Officials in the Prime Minister's Office said at the time that the Iranian issue was the focus of the talks, and that Olmert planned to present Putin with intelligence on a number of strategic issues.

Haaretz learned that Olmert presented Putin with the problems relevant to Syria.

One week later, Olmert flew to Paris and London, where he met with President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Gordon Brown, respectively, and filled them in on the operation. While in London, Olmert also met with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was also visiting the British capital.

After the air strike in Syria, two detachable fuel tanks from Israeli fighter planes were found in Turkish territory, near the Syrian border. Turkish news reports said this proved that Israeli aircraft had flown over Turkish airspace on their way to their target. Turkey made a formal complaint to Israel and asked for clarifications from Jerusalem.

In his hour-long meeting with Erdogan, Olmert briefed the Turkish prime minister on the situation. A few days later Olmert informed the cabinet that he had apologized to Erdogan for the fuel-tank incident.

"If Israeli planes indeed penetrated Turkish airspace, then it was without prior intent or any intent to infringe upon or undermine Turkish sovereignty, which we respect," Olmert told the cabinet.

Related articles:
  • Report: Syria, North Korea hold high-level talks in Pyongyang
  • Report: U.S. evidence shows N. Korea gave Syria nuclear aid
  • Report: Iranian Foreign Ministry delegation visits North Korea
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      1.   Iran is a nightmare and a hallucination for Israelis 02:58  |  Aounist 07/04/08
      2.   A little chicken soup & cheese cake 03:30  |  Avrum 07/04/08
      3.   Purfume on the Pile 04:41  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/04/08
      4.   Five years ago Israel and N.Korea held talks and the US nixed it 05:16  |  Conroy 07/04/08
      5.   Bush and Olmert should be taken to task for unilateral aggression 05:19  |  Tosefta 07/04/08
      6.   Respective US/Israeli Agendas 06:20  |  Proud Israeli 07/04/08
      7.   I exposed this lie here yesterday 06:47  |  Rowan Berkeley 07/04/08
      8.   Divine Intervention? 07:12  |  Natallie Durson 07/04/08
      9.   Re:#1.Iran is a nightmare and hallucination for Arabs nations 07:37  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 07/04/08
      10.   Re:#1.Iran is a nightmare and hallucination for Arabs nations 07:37  |  e.m Jordan is Palse 07/04/08
      11.   Syria: "unused military installation" 07:39  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      12.   what if it was a nuclear plant they push it back few month 07:39  |  reza SHAH 07/04/08
      13.   5 Tosefta - What to believe 07:43  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/04/08
      14.   QUESTIONS 07:54  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      15.   #5, Tosefta 08:07  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      16.   Aounist`s prescription to cure the nightmare... 08:42  |  Michael 07/04/08
      17.   #13, Mark of Lewiston 08:46  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      18.   Durson #9: Divine Intervention 08:57  |  Michael 07/04/08
      19.   Iran and North Korea 09:17  |  Ziggy 07/04/08
      20.   This is so frustrating 09:33  |  Rowan Berkeley 07/04/08
      21.   Israel still desperate to persuade America to attack Iran 09:37  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      22.   For Cipora # 11 09:46  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      23.   For Cipora again # 14 09:54  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      24.   #14 Some possible answers, Cipora 09:56  |  Johnboy 07/04/08
      25.   #22, fool, MarkL is just a poster 10:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      26.   North Koreans in weaponization facility in SE Teheran 10:14  |  Shalom Freedman 07/04/08
      27.   #23, "if that building was storing missiles...." 10:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      28.   #24, jb, concerning chemical warheads 10:29  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/04/08
      29.   OLMERT TRIED TO CONVINCE THE JAPANESE 10:32  |  indrajaya 07/04/08
      30.   Tosefta#5 - aficionado of North Korea 10:40  |  S 07/04/08
      31.   For Cipora, yet again 10:42  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      32.   17 Cipora - Wanting to See Raw Data 10:49  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/04/08
      33.   For Shalom Freedman # 26 10:56  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      34.   Shalom Freedman - NK Tech Doesn`t Work 10:58  |  Mark of Lewiston 07/04/08
      35.   #28 I need to point out to you, Cipora..... 11:10  |  Johnboy 07/04/08
      36.   IRAN Using N.Korean technology for missiles that can reach Europe 11:13  |  PETER SM 07/04/08
      37.   CFOOL most of the world including China doesn`t want nuclear Iran 11:29  |  PETER SM 07/04/08
      38.   For Peter SM # 36 11:35  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      39.   You can always tell the disinfo 11:44  |  Rowan Berkeley 07/04/08
      40.   WHY SHOULD THE U.S. BE "CONCERNED" 11:47  |  Robert 07/04/08
      41.   #38 boris the clucking fool and none so blind !! 11:48  |  v hardman 07/04/08
      42.   SO WHAT? ... ENOUGH OF KNOW-HOW MONOLOLY 11:49  |  TripleJump 07/04/08
      43.   I think Clickfool (#31) doesn`t love Israel 11:52  |  MR 07/04/08
      44.   ISRAEL ONLY LIKE OTHERS DO ITS DIRTY WORK 12:01  |  TripleJump 07/04/08
      45.   stopping iran 12:02  |  v hardman 07/04/08
      46.   The REAL danger to the world is Israel NOT Iran! 12:02  |  Dino 07/04/08
      47.   hmmm this seems logical to a degree 12:03  |  Three million Bombs 07/04/08
      48.   N.Korea and Iran. Iran is well past N.Korea. 12:35  |  Stephen. 07/04/08
      49.   #38 the FOOL"Iran not an enemy of GRATEbrittin" 12:44  |  Ari ben Yisrael 07/04/08
      50.   For Rowan Berkeley # 39 12:49  |  Clickfool 07/04/08
      51.   Clickster #50 13:01  |  Rowan Berkeley 07/04/08
      52.   Tosefta ...what if the "morons" and or "bullies" 13:12  |  Lynn 07/04/08
      53.   TRIPLEJUMP the country you are allegedly loyal to. 13:14  |  PETER SM 07/04/08
      54.   just like the WMD`s 13:16  |  VIPER 07/04/08
      55.   Listen To This ... 13:16  |  Arab DRUZE Muslim 07/04/08
      56.   # 52, LYNN 13:24  |  indrajaya 07/04/08
      57.   #28, CPK once again 13:25  |  VIPER 07/04/08
      58.   #46 Another Dinosaur,this time from Italy 13:53  |  Hastaroth 07/04/08
      59.   v hardman If saving of life was paramount 14:25  |  danton 07/04/08
      60.   Will the USA/ ISRAEL nonsense 14:31  |  Dav 07/04/08
      61.   Show the proof or SHUT UP! 14:37  |  Raad 07/04/08
      62.   Thank You, Haaretz 14:47  |  Hiram Walker 07/04/08
      63.   Nuclear Iran. 14:58  |  Jean Van Daem 07/04/08
      64.   # 56 Indy....As I said, "all nuclear facilities" 15:09  |  Lynn 07/04/08
      65.   Why doesn`t israel use it`s currency reserves 15:10  |  Chris Linthwaite 07/04/08
      66.   # 46 Dino.... "WE" don`t trust you to make any 15:12  |  Lynn 07/04/08
      67.   Lynn # 52 Only For Signatories Of The NPT 15:28  |  Jeff Northridge 07/04/08
      68.   DINO.If you are a Moslem you won`t mind"Islam will rule the world 15:33  |  PETER SM 07/04/08
      69.   Clickfool..Iran not the enemy of Britain, well duh 15:44  |  The Equalizer 07/04/08
      70.