ETERNITY AND A DAY:

[Former Mossad chief Efraim] Halevy conceded that "there are problems with the inspections. There is the problem that after 10-15 years, there is the option for Iran to make a nuclear bomb."

He maintained, however, that an agreement with a timeline greater than a decade would not hold up in the international arena, and explained that 10 years was an eternity in the Middle East.

"There are less good elements in the agreement," he said, "that require a great deal of work to follow up [on Iran's activities], not just for the United Nations, but also for intelligence services around the world."

He added: "But in a situation where it is impossible to separate Iran from a nuclear weapon, inasmuch as Iran refuses to give up on all of its capabilities, they reached an agreement that facilitates other kinds of options, that yielded a period of time in which it is possible to create a different atmosphere in the Middle East."

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