Egypt regrets Switzerland's statements on Scud missiles deal

Egypt's ambassador to Switzerland on Thursday said he regretted statements made by a Swiss police chief that Egypt in 1996 completed a Scud missile deal with China and North Korea. Monte Carlo radio quoted the Egyptian ambassador in Bern as saying that he "for the first time heard of such a matter."

The Egyptian ambassador wondered, since this issue goes back to the year 1996, why it is being raised now. The ambassador stressed that Egypt does not possess weapons of mass destruction, rather it launched an initiative to make the Middle East a zone free from such weapons.