Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reaffirmed his call for a ban on weapons of mass destruction throughout the Middle East including Israel, in an interview published in a British newspaper on Tuesday.

Last month Assad, together with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said Israel should back plans to remove nuclear, chemical and biological weapons from the whole Middle East.

"Unless this applies to all countries, we are wasting our time," Assad told the Daily Telegraph.

Syria has come under fresh U.S. pressure over alleged arms following Libya's announcement last month that it would abandon secret efforts to build an atomic bomb and chemical weapons.

"From time to time we are exposed to Israeli aggression," Assad said. "It is natural for us to look for means to defend ourselves. It is not difficult to get most of these weapons anywhere in the world and they can be obtained at any time."

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