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Nuclear Scrutiny to Turn to Israel

(Wall Street Journal) Jay Solomon - Arab states are preparing to press for far greater UN controls over Israel's nuclear program, in a move that could complicate the Obama administration's broader nonproliferation campaign and Middle East peace drive. Arab diplomats say they are preparing to use two sets of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) meetings in Vienna to pass a resolution for the second consecutive year aimed at bringing Israel's nuclear program under tighter international controls. The U.S. has already begun trying to head off the Arab initiative due to concerns it will distract from the conferences' focus on the proliferation cases of Iran and Syria. U.S. officials also said the Arab-led resolution could also cause Israel to reject any participation in a planned 2012 conference aimed at establishing a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction. "Another resolution singling out Israel and ignoring proliferation issues like Iran and Syria would seriously diminish the chances for convening a 2012 meeting," said Glyn Davies, the U.S. ambassador to the IAEA. The Arab states scored a diplomatic coup last year at the IAEA's General Conference by securing passage of a resolution targeting Israel. The Obama administration then signed on in May to a UN statement that calls for the holding of the 2012 Mideast conference and for Israel to accede to the NPT, stirring tensions between the U.S. and Israel.
2010-09-13 12:00:22
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