A press conference was held in Haifa with the unique title "Transforming the Middle East Into a Region Free of Weapons of Mass Destruction."
"The nuclear treasure is becoming a long-term threat and political burden, these days," Burg said, describing the policy of ambiguity to be "ancient and childish. The equation is no longer an Israeli monopoly. ... The new reality imposes a choice between everyone 'possessing' nuclear weapons and a nuclear-weapons-free region. There is no nuclear option for all."
Burg, who had formerly served in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee, called for "increased awareness on the nuclear question and imposing restrictions for immunity. A comprehensive regional dialogue must be held, including with Iran, since there is no conflict without dialogue and only a public dialogue would allow the risks and alternatives to nuclear weapons rise to the surface."
In an interview with Israeli newspaperMaariv, Burg said, "It is time to exit" what he called the "nuclear closet," putting an end to the ambiguity shrouding Israel's nuclear program. The new equation should be, "either nuclear [capabilities] for all or for none."
In the same conference, former Hiroshima Mayor Tadatoshi Akiba called on Israel to "join the rational club and support a Middle East and world free of weapons of mass destruction."
"In Hiroshima, we know the price of a nuclear bomb. The Hiroshima Survivors Organization conducts a global campaign to clean up the world of such weapons," he continued. Akiba explained that his call is not directed toward Israel alone, but all the peoples of the Middle East, including Iran.
He added that the negotiations with Iran, and Syria's chemical disarmament, is a direction that must be sought throughout the Middle East.
"Dismantling the chemical weapons in Syria means that it is possible to dismantle weapons of mass destruction," Knesset member Dov Khenin, from the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), informed the conference, "and it could be done by political means and international agreements."
He added that the deal between the major powers and Iran "indicates the possibility of advancing in this direction in relation to programs developing nuclear capabilities. This momentum should be exploited, so that our region could reach a state where weapons of mass destruction could be dismantled, making it a much safer region."
"It is time to understand that nuclear weapons are not the solution, but the problem, and they are not safe, but the danger that threatens us and our neighbors," he concluded.
(Al-Akhbar)