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Nearly 190 nations have agreed to a declaration that pressures Israel to join the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) and calls for a 2012 conference on nuclear weapons in the Middle East. Delegates in New York wrapped up a month-long round of talks on Friday aimed at updating the NPT. Their final declaration urges Israel to join the treaty and subject its nuclear facilities to oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The document calls for the United Nations secretary-general to call a meeting of Middle East states in 2012, aimed at creating a region free of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. All 189 signatories to the treaty unanimously approved the declaration on Friday night. The text also reaffirms the commitment of existing nuclear powers to reducing their arsenals. But the future of that 2012 conference is already in doubt: General James Jones, the US national security adviser, said the US "will not permit a conference or actions that could jeopardise Israel’s national security". US defends Israel In a separate statement released on Saturday, Barack Obama, the US president, said he "strongly oppose[s] efforts to single out Israel." Israel is one of only three states which never signed the NPT, the other two being India and Pakistan. It is believed to have a nuclear arsenal, though it refuses to confirm or deny its existence. Israel has said it backs such an agreement in principle, but only after signing peace treaties with other countries in the region. "The Arab group basically drew a line in the sand and said, this is as far as we can go in compromising. This language must stay, or we will not back the final document," Al Jazeera's Kristen Saloomey said, reporting from New York. "[And] the United States was very interested in moving this agenda of non-proliferation forward." Ellen Tauscher, the US under-secretary of state for arms control, said "the United States deeply regrets" that the draft pressures Israel to join the NPT. If negotiators agree on a bargain, it would be the first successful NPT review meeting since 2000. |
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UN talks back conference on nuclear-free Middle East
Page last updated at 8:56 GMT, Saturday, 29 May 2010 9:56 UK
Iran has faced international pressure over its nuclear programme Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), have agreed to work towards a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East.
The members, meeting at the UN in New York, called for a conference in 2012 attended by Middle Eastern states - including Iran - to establish the zone.
The unanimously agreed document also said that Israel should sign the NPT.
US President Barack Obama backed the deal but said he was "strongly opposed" to Israel being singled out.
The US says the reference could jeopardise efforts to persuade the Israelis to attend the 2012 talks.
An Israel official later denounced the document as "hypocrisy".
"Only Israel is mentioned, while the text is silent about other countries like India, Pakistan and North Korea, which have nuclear arms, or even more seriously, Iran, which is seeking to obtain them," a senior government official told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
'Important step'The 28-page final declaration was agreed by 189 member states following intense talks on the last day of a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts.
Libran Cabactulan NPT conference presidentAll eyes the world over are watching us
The document calls for the United Nations secretary general to organise a meeting of Middle East states in 2012 to agree to the creation of a "zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction".
"All eyes the world over are watching us," said conference president Libran Cabactulan, of the Philippines, as the final text was approved.
Egypt's Maged Abedelaziz, speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement of 118 developing nations, welcomed the decision, saying it was "an important step forward towards the realisation of the goals and objectives of the treaty".
Diplomats discussing the proposals had continued talks late into the night on Thursday before resuming on Friday.
One of the sticking points involved Israel, which is not a member of the NPT, and is widely believed to have nuclear weapons. It has never admitted possessing them.
Arab states and Israel's allies had to work hard to find agreement over wording for the proposed nuclear-weapons-free zone.
Barbara Plett BBC UN correspondent Modest progress at NPT talksHowever flawed some believe the existing non-proliferation machinery to be, all agree that it has at least been partially rehabilitated after a decade of failure
Correspondents say Arab nations want to put pressure on Israel to relinquish its undeclared nuclear arsenal.
Iran also made a late demand that the five recognised nuclear-armed nations agree to a timetable for negotiating a treaty to abolish their arsenals.
In the final document adopted, no specific timetable is set out but the five states commit to "accelerate concrete progress" towards reducing their nuclear arsenals and to report back on that in 2014.
Iran has faced repeated questions over its own nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making weapons. Tehran insists it is solely designed to meet its energy needs.
Iran, a member of the NPT, says it will stick to its obligations under the treaty.
The NPT has encountered difficulty in coming up with the best method for monitoring suspect nuclear programmes in Iran and North Korea.
India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel - which are known or suspected to have nuclear weapons - are not signatories to the treaty. They are not covered by any NPT agreement.
The NPT conference meets every five years. The last review conference, in 2005, failed to adopt a consensus declaration.
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Israel rejects Middle East nuclear talks plan
Page last updated at 17:45 GMT, Saturday, 29 May 2010 18:45 UK
Israeli leaders do not comment on the country's nuclear status Israel says it will not take part in a conference aimed at achieving a nuclear-arms free Middle East, proposed at a UN meeting in New York.
Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), backed plans for the meeting in 2012.
In a document agreed at the talks, Israel was singled out for criticism.
Israel, which has not signed the NPT, dismissed the document as "deeply flawed" and "hypocritical".
"It ignores the realities of the Middle East and the real threats facing the region and the entire world," the Israeli government said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.
Barack Obama US president Iran narrowly wins nuclear battle Israel deflects nuclear pressureWe strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardise Israel's national security
"Given the distorted nature of this resolution, Israel will not be able to take part in its implementation."
The statement was issued in Canada, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting.
In the past, the Israeli government has refused to comment on rumours that Israel has a stockpile of nuclear weapons.
In April, Mr Netanyahu pulled out of a US summit on nuclear arms after learning that Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue.
'Insignificant' documentSome 189 nations agreed to the 28-page document following a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts.
The document urged Israel to sign the NPT, but did not mention Iran, a nation widely suspected of having a nuclear-weapons programme.
Analysts say this was a diplomatic victory for Iran, which denies seeking a nuclear weapon.
The US was among the nations who agreed the document, but President Barack Obama warned that he did not agree with Israel's treatment.
"We strongly oppose efforts to single out Israel, and will oppose actions that jeopardise Israel's national security," he said.
Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon promised that his country's co-operation with the US would remain unchanged, but he condemned the document as "insignificant".
"Iran has signed [the treaty], Iraq has signed it... Syria has signed it, and we see that it hasn't stopped them from seriously breaking the treaty and from trying to bypass it," he said.
Israel also questioned why India and Pakistan - declared nuclear states who have not signed the treaty - were not singled out for mention.
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