Arab states aim to slam Israel at UN over atom bombs

By Francois Murphy 
September 23, 2005
Reuters
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L23254702.htm

VIENNA, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Arab member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency are pushing for it to condemn Israel as a threat to peace in the Middle East for having a nuclear weapons. 

Israel neither denies nor admits having a nuclear arsenal, though experts estimate it has between 100 and 200 atomic bombs. 

In a letter submitted to the IAEA on behalf of its Arab member states, Oman asked that the agency's annual General Conference of the IAEA's 138 member states in Vienna next week consider a statement strongly criticising the Jewish state. 

Israel's possession of nuclear weapons is likely to lead to a destructive nuclear arms race in the region, especially if Israel's nuclear installations remain outside any international control, a text attached to the letter said. 

The Arab countries submit similar statements to the IAEA's general conference every year, but have failed to win backing since 1991. 

The latest Arab drive to condemn Israel follows a row at the IAEA's 35-nation governing board over how to respond to a nuclear programme in Iran, a sworn enemy of the Jewish state. 
Western countries have called on the IAEA board to report Iran to the U.N. Security Council, which can impose economic sanctions, over suspicions it is seeking nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear programme is only for generating electricity. The letter and text were submitted by Oman on behalf of 16 countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan. Iraq was not among the countries listed. 
Israel is the only country in the Middle East believed to possess nuclear weapons and has not signed the global pact aimed at halting the spread of atomic arms, the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). 

Whereas all Arab states have acceded to the NPT, Israel continues to defy the international community by refusing to become a party to the treaty or to place its installations under the (IAEA's) comprehensive safeguards system, thus exposing the region to nuclear risks and threatening peace, the text added. 

IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has called for Israel to scrap its atomic arsenal. 
The Arab text listed 11 U.N. General Assembly resolutions calling on Israel to join the NPT. It named five IAEA General Conference resolutions demanding the same thing, but the most recent was passed in 1991. 

The policies of the present Israeli government have obstructed the peace process in the Middle East and all initiatives to free the region of the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction, and in particular of nuclear weapons, have failed, the text said.