Israeli Officials: Musharraf Met Barak

Israeli Officials: Musharraf Met Barak

Monday January 28, 2008 12:16 PM

By MATTI FRIEDMAN

Associated Press Writer

JERUSALEM (AP) - Pakistan's president held a rare
and secret meeting with Israel's defense minister in a
Paris hotel last week, and the Iranian nuclear program
figured high on the agenda, Israeli defense officials
said Monday.

The two states have no diplomatic ties, and their
officials rarely meet. But Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak saw
each other by chance at the Hotel Raphael in Paris on
Jan. 22, where they both were staying, the officials
said. They then held a scheduled 20-minute meeting
the following day, the officials said.

The defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity
because Israel's Defense Ministry has not officially
confirmed the meeting took place.

Barak and Musharraf discussed the possibility that
Iran would develop nuclear weapons, the Israeli
officials said. Iran and Israel are bitter enemies,
and Israel - along with the U.S. and much of the
international community - is concerned that Iran's
nuclear program is designed to produce weapons.
Iran claims it intends to produce energy.

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