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Russia calls on Israel to join non-proliferation treaty

11 June 2010 04:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Russia joined international calls for Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and allow the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect its nuclear facilities, APA reports quoting RIA Novosti.
The IAEA governing board, which convened on Thursday, was the first such event since 1991 where the issue of Israel’s alleged possession of nuclear weapons was put into spotlight.
"We are convinced that this [Israel’s joining the NPT] will contribute to strengthening the non-proliferation regime of nuclear weapons and to creating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and delivery vehicles in the Middle East, enhancing peace and stability in the region and worldwide," Russia’s envoy to the IAEA, Grigory Berdennikov, said.
The NPT is an international agreement on control over the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. It fixes the right of all member states to research, produce and use nuclear power for civilian purposes.
All UN members except Israel, India, North Korea and Pakistan are signatories to the NPT.
The discussion on Israel was initiated by Arab countries, who said in a statement that the Jewish state continues to "defy" the international community by refusing to join the treaty and by not allowing the IAEA to inspect its nuclear facilities.
"We cannot fail but also point out that the concern of the Israeli nuclear danger is reinforced by Israel’s aggressive policies towards Arab countries," said Sudan’s envoy Mahmoud El-Amin who spoke on behalf of all Arab states.
Israel said in response that it opposed any actions which could damage its national security and the countries who initiated the debate were "the ones that do not recognize Israel’s right to exist."
China also showed its support for the initiative.
China "has always insisted on building a non-nuclear-weapon area in the Middle East" and "all the countries in the region should conscientiously fulfill NPT obligations, as well as sign and ratify the IAEA agreements and its Additional Protocols," Xinhua quoted Chinese envoy Chen Qiufa as saying.
The United States and the European Union were reluctant to join the discussions.
"Singling out Israel for censure is in our view both counterproductive and inappropriate," U.S. envoy Glyn Davies said. "What the region needs is to come together in a cooperative, consensual way."
The EU also said the discussions were counter-productive as a conference to discuss nuclear-free zone in the Middle East was scheduled for 2012.
Israel, however, has already ruled out its participation in such a conference.