Subject: HEADLINES January 17-18, 1996

     Jan 18 (Reuter) - The head of Germany's BND intelligence
service said before a parliamentary committee that Iran and
Iraq have been acquiring nuclear materials using undercover
buyers on the international black market. He said that of 32
cases of interested buyers registered by German intelligence
last year, 16 were made on behalf of states -- proportionally
more than those detected in previous years.


     Jan 18 (Reuter) - Chances are high that a comprehensive
nuclear test ban treaty (CTBT) will be achieved within the
next six months, if only because no state will want to be
blamed for failure, a senior negotiator said. Progress could
be delayed in the coming weeks because India and some other
countries wanted the test ban linked with talks on wider
nuclear disarmament.



     Jan 18 (Reuter) - Israels Foreign Minister Ehud Barak
said Israel's greatest strength was its perception as a
nuclear power among Arab states. He stopped short of
confirming Israel has the bomb. Barak has played the role of
the hardline former general in Peres's government since
becoming foreign minister in November following the
assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.  



   PARIS, Feb 17 (Reuter) - A deal outlining future aid to
French Polynesia after the end of nuclear testing in the South
Pacific is likely to be signed next month. France's Defence
minister said it would complete its underground nuclear tests
at the Mururoa and Fangataufa atolls by the end of February at
the latest.



     Jan. 18 (UPI) -- U.N. officials are confident of reaching
a comprehensive nuclear test ban treaty within the next six
months, despite ambivalent signals from China and France's
decision to conduct at least one more test. Negotiations are
scheduled to resume next week and with broad agreement on most
issues already achieved, it should be completed in time for
signing at the U.N.'s General Assembly in September, said the
chairman of the test ban talks.