Arab nations slam West's double standard on Israeli nuclear arsenal

www.chinaview.cn 2007-09-22 10:50:21 Print

VIENNA, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) --

Representatives of Arab nations to an IAEA conference on Friday criticized the double standard applied by some western countries on nuclear non-proliferation.

Delegates of Arab countries, including Egypt, Syria and Iraq, said a televised statement by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that Israel possessed nuclear weapons had exerted a negative impact on peace, security and stability in the Middle East.

It's nuclear activities and establishments have gone beyond the control of the UN atomic watchdog and thwarted efforts on nuclear non-proliferation, they said.

A German television aired a statement by Olmert on Dec. 11, 2006, in which the Israeli prime minister announced that his nation now possessed nuclear weapons.

Some countries have provided a political shield for Israel by applying a double standard on regional security and nuclear non-proliferation, and this had affected the reliability of the international nuclear non-proliferation system, said the Arab delegates.

They called for countries to be aware of Israeli nuclear capacities, and urged them to pressure for it to abandon the nuclear weapons.

The conference failed to pass a resolution on Israels nuclear capabilities due to opposition from the United States and other western countries.

The 51st annual regular session of the IAEA General Conference ended at the Austria Center in Vienna on Friday.

Editor: Yao Siyan

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