"The Libyan decision to renounce its programs to develop mass destruction weapons is an important basis for specialized international organizations to take a serious decision to rid the Middle East of these arms," Al-Ahram said.

"The whole world is aware of the danger of weapons of mass destruction, and first of all Israel's nuclear weapons, and an international conference must now be held to empty the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction."

Egypt and several other Arab countries have called on Israel to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) since Libya last Friday publicly renounced its own banned weapons programs.

Egypt has long called on the Jewish state to ratify the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and make the Middle East a region free of WMD.

Israel has never confirmed or denied charges it possesses nuclear weapons, but the United States has considered Israel to be a nuclear power since 1969 and experts estimate it has 200 nuclear warheads.

Libya announced Friday, after nine months of secret negotiations with Britain and the United States, that it was abandoning its efforts to develop

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