Former Syrian Minister of Defense Mustafa Tlas: Iran Has the Right to Obtain a Nuclear Bomb; Late UAE Leader Sheik Zayed Financed the Pakistani Bomb

Following are excerpts from an interview with Mustafa Tlas, former Syrian defense minister, which aired on Al-Alam TV on May 26, 2008.

Mustafa Tlas: I believe that Iran has the right to get what it needs in order to have nuclear weapons. Why should Israel have nuclear weapons, even though it is an alien entity, while no other country has them, at least for the sake of balance of power? For your information – how did Pakistan get its nuclear weapons? It was thanks to the late [UAE leader] Sheik Zayed, who gave Pakistan 1.5 billion dollars in order to produce the Islamic nuclear bomb, and indeed, Pakistan produced this Islamic nuclear bomb. When Qadir [Khan], who produced the Pakistani bomb, came here, I received him and organized a series of entertaining meetings in Damascus. It was the right of Pakistan to obtain [a nuclear bomb]. I believe that Iran has the right to become the second Islamic country to have a nuclear bomb. That's science, and no one can stand in the way of science.