US, EU thwart Arab move against Israel
Foreign Desk Report

VIENNA—An Arab drive to have the U.N. nuclear watchdog condemn Israel over its alleged nuclear arsenal failed on Friday in the face of opposition by the United States and the European Union, diplomats said.
Each year, Arab states push at the annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to condemn Israel over its nuclear arms and demand that it signs up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) arms control pact. The Jewish state neither admits nor denies having nuclear weapons. Some experts believe it has 100 to 200 atom bombs. “The first step here is for Israel to join the NPT and place its (nuclear) facilities under agency safeguards,” U.S. and Israeli arch-foe Syria said in a statement.
This year the Arab proposal was not considered by the 139 member nations at the meeting but the conference president issued a statement noting previous statements on Israel since 1992. The same was done last year. 1991 is the last time Arab countries succeeded in having a resolution passed chiding Israel. This year, the Jewish state had the support of key ally, the United States, and the EU, which was enough to make the Arab diplomatic push grind to a halt, diplomats said. “They have U.S. and EU backing,” a diplomat at the meeting said, when asked who had opposed the Arab request.
The meeting did pass a resolution, however, “calling upon all parties directly concerned to consider seriously taking the practical and appropriate steps required for the implementation of the proposal to establish a ... nuclear weapons-free zone in the (Middle East) region.” Israel had said it would not back the resolution on a nuclear weapons-free zone in the Middle East if any action was taken on the proposal by the Arab states to criticize Israel, which it dismissed as “cynically motivated.” Arab states made it clear they saw the resolution applying primarily to Israel, the only country in the region believed to have nuclear arms, and condemned the West for its “double standards.”
Egypt said the resolution should apply equally to all states in the region without exception, a reference to Israel. “Egypt also urges the international community, particularly the permanent members of the Security Council, to take their responsibilities and endeavour to get us out of this cul de sac with respect to the application of the resolution,” Egypt said. The IAEA gathering, which ended on Friday, also agreed a resolution welcoming North Korea’s pledge to scrap its nuclear arms and calling on Pyongyang to cooperate with the IAEA.