Netanyahu Skips US Nuclear Summit Amid Calls to Rid Middle East of Israeli Nuclear Weapons

Netanyahu To Skip US Nuclear Summit

Friday April 09, 2010 12:30 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported that Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has decided not to attend the Nuclear Summit in the United States after learning that a number of Muslim Countries would seek to discuss Israel’s failure to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Summit was organized and called for by the U.S. President, Barack Obama.

Netanyahu’s office announced the trip earlier Thursday before the cancelation was decided.

The office of Netanyahu said that some countries, referring to Arab and Muslim states, will be using next week’s summit as an excuse to slam Israel, and that this conference will not just be a summit to counter “nuclear terror”.

Dan Meridor, the Israeli Intelligence Affairs Minister, and several Israeli experts, would be attending the conference instead of Netanyahu.

The Israeli government claimed that Arab leaders and their allies would use the conference to ask the international community to pressure Israel into officially declaring its nuclear capabilities (and ridding the Middle East of Israeli nuclear weapons).

Netanyahu is also avoiding a meeting with Obama as the later demanded him to respond to efforts conducted by U.S. Administration to revive the peace process with the Palestinian Authority of Mahmoud Abbas.

Yet, there was no plan for a Netanyahu-Obama meeting during the summit, and only nine world leaders are expected to hold meetings with Netanyahu.

Israel wants the summit to mainly focus on Iran and on imposing sanctions on the country as Israeli leaders claim that the Iranian nuclear agenda is not meant for peaceful purposes and studies.

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