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ElBaradei, Arab States to Push for Talks on Middle East Weapons-Free Zone During NPT Review Conference
A nuclear weapon-free zone in the Middle East is expected to be among the topics of discussion at a meeting of Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty members set to be held in May, the Washington Post reported yesterday (see GSN, Aug. 16, 2004). International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Mohamed ElBaradei and representatives from several Arab states plan to promote the zone during the treaty review conference in New York, according to the Post. “One goal of this dialogue,” ElBaradei has said, “would be to make the Middle East a nuclear weapons-free zone.” Arab countries have seen the proposed zone as a way of illustrating that Israel’s long-suspected possession of nuclear weapons has helped to spur other Middle East countries to follow suit, as well as a perceived U.S. double standard toward Israel’s arsenal, the Post reported. “Iran is always mentioned but no one mentions Israel, which has (nuclear) weapons already,” Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal said in an interview with Newsweek. “We wish the international community would enforce the movement to make the Middle East a nuclear-free zone.” While agreeing that the proposal is an issue for discussion, Israeli Ambassador Daniel Ayalon last week also noted that 22 Arab countries, “many of them hostile,” surround Israel A nuclear weapon-free Middle East, Ayalon said during an appearance on John McLaughlin’s One on One television program, “will be viewed very favorably by Israel once we have a comprehensive peace in the area and there are no dangers of attacks or delegitimization by any other country” (Walter Pincus, Washington Post, March 6).
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