TEL AVIV, Dec 12: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed ElBaradei urged Israel to give up its nuclear arsenal, claiming it spurred a regional arms race, in an interview published on Friday by the Haaretz newspaper.

He called for discussions to be engaged between Israel and its regional neighbours in order to establish a de-nuclearized area and avoid further development of weapons of mass destruction.

“My fear is that without such a dialogue, there will be continued incentive for the region’s countries to develop weapons of mass destruction to match the Israeli arsenal,” Mr ElBaradei told the liberal Israeli daily.—AFP