US rages at NPT over Israel decision

Press TV, Sat, 29 May 2010, 06:14:05 GMT

US President Barack Obama criticizes the recent NPT statement for singling out Israel.
After the international community agreed to put pressure on Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the US president reacts by condemning the move.

In a statement issued on Friday, US President Barack Obama said the agreement reached at the 2010 NPT review conference singled out Israel with regard to a nuclear weapons-free Middle East.

"We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel and will oppose actions that jeopardize Israel's national security," President Obama said.

He made the remarks after all 189 NPT signatories reached a deal for the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East following a month-long round of talks at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The 28-page statement by the NPT members called on all Middle Eastern states to attend a conference due to be held in 2012.

It also went on to highlight "the importance of Israel's accession to the treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards."

Despite signing the agreement, Washington has sharply criticized mentioning Tel Aviv in the statement.

The reaction comes as Israel is widely believed to be the sixth-largest nuclear power in the world and the sole possessor of an atomic arsenal in the Middle East.

For 40 years, with the help of Washington, Tel Aviv has successfully prevented its undeclared arsenal of approximately 200 atomic warheads from becoming public.

AGB/CS/MMA

Iran in Doubt about 2012 Conference on N. Free Middle-East

May 29, 2010

TEHRAN (FNA)-

 Iran on Saturday announced its reservations about a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a nuclear-free Middle-East, saying that such meetings are futile as long as Israel possesses hundreds of nuclear warheads and denies international calls for its membership in international treaties.

The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference approved a document on the last day for holding a conference in 2012 "on the establishment of a Middle East free from all weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), including nuclear weapons".

Upon the approval of the document, the Iranian delegation headed by Tehran's Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh in an address to the participants described possession of atomic weapons by Israel as the main obstacle in the way of peace and security in the region and establishment of a WMD-free Middle East.

Noting that the Zionist regime's membership in the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is one of the main prerequisites for the establishment of a nuclear-weapons-free region, the Iranian delegation officially announced its reservations about the Review Conference's decision for holding a conference on WMD and nuclear-free Middle-East in 2012.

Reminding the United States' unfair and double-standard policies on nuclear non-proliferation and Washington's support for Israel as an impediment to the successfulness of such conference, the Iranian delegation lamented that although paragraphs of the document which urge Israel to join the NPT lack a specified timetable and necessary measures to oblige the regime to annihilate its nuclear warheads, the US still opposes the text and a mention of Israel's name in it.

In reference to Israel, the document "calls on all states in the Middle East that have not yet done so to accede to the treaty as non-nuclear weapon states so as to achieve its universality at an early date".

Iran, an NPT-signatory, has called for the removal of all weapons of mass destruction from across the globe.

The UN General Assembly approved a draft resolution proposed by Iran on nuclear disarmament in October amid strong opposition by the US, Britain, France, Israel and a number of western countries.

The resolution ratified in the first committee of the UN General Assembly calls on all nuclear countries to annihilate their nuclear weapons under the supervision of international bodies.

More than 100 countries, including non-nuclear members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), voted for the resolution.

The resolution also urges Israel to join the NPT and allow the IAEA to inspect its nuclear installations.

Also in pursuit of global nuclear disarmament, Tehran held a conference on nuclear disarmament on April 18-19 with officials from different world countries in attendance.

During the two-day conference, world officials and politicians put their heads together to address issues and concerns in connection with nuclear disarmament.

Foreign ministers, representatives and nuclear experts from 60 world countries participated in the event to discuss challenges on nuclear disarmament, countries' commitment to nuclear dismantlement and disarmament and aftermaths of inaction in the destruction of the WMDs.