PM NETANYAHU'S REMARKS REGARDING MEDIA REPORTS CONCERNING 
ISRAEL'S NUCLEAR POLICY
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Jerusalem, 11 August 1998


In the wake of erroneous reports which appeared in the media this morning
(Tuesday), 11.8.98, the Prime Minister's Media Adviser wishes to clarify
that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the following remarks at the
beginning of this morning's Cabinet meeting:

1. U.S. President Bill Clinton asked that Israel not oppose the
establishment of an ad-hoc committee to begin formulating a treaty to ban
the production of fissile materials.

2. This is a procedural step which will continue for years before all of
the participating countries reach an agreed-upon treaty. We made it clear
that our support for the establishment of the committee does not indicate
that we are taking a position on the treaty and its contents.

3. In consultation with the defense establishment, we made it clear to the
United States that Israel has its own considerations which are unique to
its situation in the region. In light of this, we will need clarifications
from the U.S. We also made it clear that we have fundamental problems with
the treaty, which we will also discuss with the U.S.


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