nuclear-news

Middle East- a nuclear weapon-free zone or allout nuclear arms race?

AP Interview: Saudi warns of Mideast nuclear race, Google News, By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press  26 Jan 12, DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — An influential member of the Saudi royal family warned Wednesday that unless the Middle East becomes a nuclear weapon-free zone, a nuclear arms race is inevitable and could include his own country, Iraq, Egypt and even Turkey.
Prince Turki Al Faisal said the five permanent U.N. Security Council members should guarantee a nuclear security umbrella for Mideast countries that join a nuclear-free zone — and impose “military sanctions” against countries seen to be developing nuclear weapons. “I think that’s a better way of going at this issue of nuclear enrichment of uranium, or preventing Iran from acquiring weapons of mass destruction,” the former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador
to the U.S. and Britain said in an interview with The Associated
Press. “If it goes that route, I think it’s a much more equitable
procedure than what has been happening in the last 10 years or so.”
Turki said establishing a nuclear weapons-free zone “deserves
everybody’s attention and energy, more so than other activities which
we see unfolding, whether it is redeployment of fleets in the area,
whether Iranian or American or British or French, whether it is the
sanctions efforts against Iran.”…
Turki’s proposal could impose sanctions against Iran if there is
evidence it is pursuing weapons of mass destruction, which include
nuclear as well as chemical and biological weapons. But it could also
put Israel under sanctions if it doesn’t come clean on its suspected
nuclear arsenal.
Israel is widely believed to have an arsenal of hundreds of nuclear
weapons but has avoided confirming or denying their existence.
An Arab proposal for a weapons of mass destruction-free zone was
initially endorsed by the 1995 conference reviewing the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty, but never acted on.
In May 2010, the 189 member nations that are party to the NPT called
for convening a conference in 2012. Last October, the U.N., U.S.,
Russia and Britain announced that Finland will host the conference
this year.
Israel is not a party to the NPT and has long said a full Arab-Israeli
peace must precede such weapons bans. But at the 2010 NPT review
conference, the United States, Israel’s most important ally, said it
welcomed “practical measures” leading toward the goal of a
nuclear-free zone in the Middle East.
It remains unclear, however, whether the U.S. or veteran Finnish
diplomat Jaakko Laajava, who is serving as “facilitator” of this
year’s conference, can persuade Israel to attend.
Turki said his answer to American and British diplomats who say Israel
won’t accept a nuclear weapons-free zone is “So what?”
He said the five permanent members should make an announcement on the
establishment of a Mideast zone free of weapons of mass destruction,
or WMD, at this year’s conference in Finland…..
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jOqbIYDjks_AtkeVA6ynWg99NYWw?docId=4a5e57f7a8b342c7b53748b281fa2fe3

January 26, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Saudi Arabia, weapons and war