The United States frears rogue states in
the Middle East have advanced their missile and nonconventional programs to
the point where they are exporting weapons of mass destruction they once imported.
U.S. officials said the best example of this is Iran, which has launched
a campaign to market missiles and components for biological and chemical
weapons to allies in the Middle East and Africa. The officials did not rule
out the prospect that Iran's neighbors, such as Iraq and Syria, would seek
to do the same, Middle East Newsline reported.
"There is an intense sort of cooperation that goes on among countries
that are trying to acquire such weapons," U.S. Assistant Secretary of State
John Wolf told a briefing on Tuesday.
"The worrisome part of the phenomenon is that countries which
clandestinely, covertly were trying to develop weapons of mass destruction
and importing technology and components are now also, Ñ
many of them -- exporting, which makes the risk that much greater," he said.
"North Korea is prepared to sell missiles to any country that
has money to buy. Iran is developing weapons of mass destruction and
missiles with help from North Korea, from Russia, from China. Iraq is
clandestinely diverting or smuggling in components that are helping it to
reconstitute its weapons capabilities and its missile capabilities ..."
Wolf said other countries are also following the lead of Iran, Iraq and
North Korea. The U.S. official would not identify them, but over the past
few months the CIA and the Defense Department has voiced concerns that such
countries as Libya and Syria are obtaining medium-range missiles and WMD.
The assistant secretary, in charge of nonproliferation at the State
Department, told a briefing that the United States is particularly concerned
that Iran, Iraq and other countries would soon seek to export their new
missile and WMD capabilities. Wolf said the United States is working with
China, Russia and others to tighten arms export controls.
U.S. officials have acknowledged difficulties in winning cooperation
from China and Russia to block the export of missile and WMD technology.
Both countries have been supporting missile and WMD programs in such
countries as Iran, Libya and Syria.
