Fri, May 07, 2010 page6

• UN nuclear agency boss looks at Israel

  MIDDLE EAST THREAT Islamic states in the region say that Israel’s undeclared, but universally assumed, nuclear arsenal is the main threat to their part of the world today

  • AP
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  The head of the UN atomic watchdog is asking for international input on how to persuade Israel to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty in a move that is sure to add to pressure on the Jewish state to disclose its unacknowledged nuclear arsenal.

  In a letter made available on Wednesday, Yukiya Amano asked the foreign ministers of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) 151 member states to share their views on how to implement a resolution that demands Israel “accede to the” Non-Proliferation Treaty and throw all its nuclear facilities open to IAEA oversight.

  The letter was shared with reporters amid renewed Arab criticism of Israel during an international conference at UN headquarters in New York.

  Islamic nations used the second day of the non-proliferation meeting on Tuesday to call for a nuclear-free Middle East, while criticizing Israel for not divulging its nuclear capabilities and refusing to sign the nonproliferation treaty.

  Egypt has proposed that this year’s Non-Proliferation Treaty conference back a plan calling for the start of negotiations next year on a Mideast free of nuclear arms.

  The proposal may become a major debating point in the month-long session.

  The US has cautiously supported the idea, while saying that implementing it must wait for progress in the Middle East peace process. Israel also says a comprehensive Middle East peace settlement must come first.

  Amano’s letter — dated April 7 — seven months after IAEA member states at their annual conference narrowly passed a resolution directly criticizing Israel and its atomic program, with 49 of the 110 nations present backing the document, 45 against and 16 abstaining.

  The result was a setback not only for Israel, but also for Washington and other backers of the Jewish state, which had lobbied for 18 years of past practice — debate on the issue without a vote.

  It also reflected building tensions between Israel and its backers and Islamic nations, supported by developing countries.

  The resolution “expresses concern about the Israeli nuclear capabilities,” and links it to “concern about the threat posed by the proliferation of nuclear weapons for the security and stability of the Middle East.”

  The US and its allies consider Iran the region’s greatest proliferation threat, fearing that Tehran is trying to achieve the capacity to make nuclear weapons despite its assertion that it is only building a civilian program to generate power.

  However, Islamic nations say that Israel is the true danger in the Middle East, adding that they fear its nuclear weapons capacity.

  Israel has never said it has such arms, but is universally believed to possess them.

  The Muslim countries enjoy support from developing nations.

  These are critical of the US and other nuclear weapons nations for refusing to disarm and suspects that developed nations are trying to corner the market on peaceful nuclear technology to their disadvantage — themes likely to surface not only at the ongoing Non-Proliferation Treaty conference, but at the next IAEA general conference in September.

  With divisions on Israel running deep, Amano’s letter foreshadows intense feuding at that September conference.

  “It would be helpful to me if Your Excellency could inform me of any views that your government might have with respect to meeting the objectives of the resolution,” his half-page letter read.

  A senior diplomat from one of the IAEA member countries confirmed that his government had received the letter.

  He and an official from another IAEA delegation said that to their knowledge the agency was still awaiting responses.

  Both diplomats for anonymity because their information was confidential.
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