Israeli nuclear arsenal, a concern for IAEA
 

Israeli nuclear arsenal, a concern for IAEA

The General Conference of the IAEA on Friday expressed "concern" about the nuclear arsenal of Israel, whose existence is neither confirmed nor denied by Jerusalem, in a resolution also calling Israel to abandon nuclear weapons.

The Arab states succeeded in passing a text, not binding, however, expressing "concern about the Israeli nuclear capabilities and (calling) Israel to adopt the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and place its nuclear facilities under the safeguards of backup of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Western countries have initially tried to prevent a vote on the resolution considered counterproductive, especially after the adoption of another text Thursday calling on all states in the Middle East to renounce nuclear weapons.

But their motion was rejected and the resolution was adopted by 49 votes to 45 against and 16 abstentions. This is the first time since 1991 that such a resolution was adopted at the IAEA on Israel, regarded as the only atomic power in the Middle East.

The Israeli delegation "deplored" this vote and announced that Israel "does not cooperate. The deputy head of the Israeli Commission of Atomic Energy David Danieli said that the only purpose of the resolution was to "strengthen the lines of division and political hostilities in the Middle East."

Iran, which does not recognize Israel and whose President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launches regular diatribes against Israel, has supported the document in Arab countries. Its representative at the IAEA, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, believed that the Israeli arsenal is a potential threat to peace and world security"and undermines the credibility of the nuclear non-proliferation.

The adoption of the text, he said, "very good news and a triumph for the oppressed nation of Palestine."