Arab nations continue to push resolution labeling Israel a threat 

The Associated Press
September 22, 2006
The International Herald Tribune
Original Source: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/22/europe/EU_GEN_Nuclear_Agency.php

VIENNA, Austria Arab nations pushed for action on a resolution labeling Israel's nuclear capabilities a threat on Friday, the final day of an annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency, diplomats said.

A draft of the nonbinding resolution also calls upon Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty so that a nuclear weapons-free zone could be established in the Middle East.

However, disagreements over the document Friday afternoon delayed delegations from reconvening, and it was unclear if the resolution would come up for a vote.

One Arab diplomat said their was no change in the position of the 15 Arab nations that submitted the resolution earlier this week. Until now, we've had no proposal from the other side, the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

Arab nations at the annual conference of the U.N.'s nuclear monitoring agency have regularly threatened to submit such a resolutions, but in past years have opted instead to voice their concerns about Israel's nuclear program through a statement from the conference president, which carries less weight than a resolution.

The last time such a resolution was submitted at the annual IAEA conference was in 1991. It passed.

Israel neither confirms nor denies its nuclear status, but is considered to be the only nation in the region with nuclear weapons.

The draft resolution was submitted earlier this week by Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Indonesia and Malaysia have co-sponsored the resolution, a diplomat said Thursday.

A meeting with other members of the Non-Aligned Movement was scheduled for Friday afternoon in an attempt to get more countries on board.

NAM, the world's biggest bloc after the United Nations, comprises mostly developing countries and U.S. foes, such as North Korea and Cuba.

The president of the general conference was meeting with concerned states Friday afternoon to present a compromise, another diplomat familiar with the matter said. He declined to be more specific.

It's now in a very sensitive stage. There's no solution yet — but we still have some hours, the diplomat said.

The Arab diplomat involved in the discussions said one possible compromise could involve dropping the language declaring Israel's program a threat and instead opting as in past years for a presidential statement, rather than a resolution. He said some Arab countries showed a willingness to do so if the statement included stronger language concerning Israel.