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U.N. Non Proliferation Conference stumbling over Middle East, Israeli weapons

US nuclear talks risk collapse over Middle East plan Wrangling over goal of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East threatens to bring month-long conference to halt  Ed Pilkington in New York * guardian.co.uk,   19 May 2010 2
A month-long conference in New York to shore up the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and prevent the global spread of atomic weapons is faced with possible collapse owing to wrangling over the goal of a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.

Senior western diplomats are warning that unless agreement can be reached over the next few days on a way forward for Middle East talks, the NPT review conference could grind to a halt without anything to show for it. Failure to achieve any positive outcome would be a serious blow to the credibility of the international community’s efforts to deal with pressing nuclear problems, particularly in regards to Iran.

At the centre of the crisis are highly sensitive ongoing negotiations on plans for a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East. The idea is being championed by Egypt and the Arab nations as a way of forcing Israel to admit publicly that it is in possession of nuclear arms as a first step towards eradicating those weapons.

Under a long-standing policy of ambiguity, Israel has never admitted possessing atomic weapons, though it is universally believed to do so. Israel is one of four countries that has refused to sign up to the NPT, and persuading Tel Aviv to attend any discussion on nuclear arms in the Middle East is proving difficult. So far there is no sign that the Israeli government is prepared to budge,

US nuclear talks risk collapse over Middle East plan | World news | The Guardian

May 22, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | 2 WORLD, politics international