Nuclear-Free Zone Impossible in Anti-Israel Mideast

[Ha'aretz] Yossi Melman and Zvi Bar'el - The chairman of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission, Shaul Chorev, told the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Tuesday that a nuclear-free Middle East requires a change in regional attitudes toward Israel. Chorev also reiterated that Israel has repeatedly asserted it would not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the region. Chorev stressed that in order for the Middle East to function as a nuclear-free zone, "progress toward realizing this vision cannot be made without a fundamental change in regional circumstances, including a significant transformation in the attitude of states in the region toward Israel." He also emphasized that many states that are party to the international non-proliferation treaty have violated their commitments. "Grave and overt violations by Iran and Syria had been detected and then formally reported by the IAEA." During Chorev's address, representatives every Arab state except Jordan and Egypt walked out.


2009-09-18 08:00:00

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