Israel Matzav

Iran developing nuclear weapons, IAEA concerned about Israel having them

With Iran on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, it goes without saying that the main concern of the world's nuclear regulator is Israel's possession of such weapons without using them for the past 50 years.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano arrived on Monday with a mandate to discuss an Arab-led resolution to bring Israel's secret Dimona reactor under inspections, officials said.

The resolution will likely be debated again at next month's IAEA assembly in Vienna.

The Japanese diplomat's talks were interspersed with a helicopter tour designed to showcase Israel's geographical vulnerability.

His Israeli hosts made little public mention of Israel's nuclear capabilities, pointing instead at arch-foe Iran, whose uranium enrichment the West suspects is to make for bombs, though Tehran denies having hostile designs.

Israel's Atomic Energy Commission issued a statement quoting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top officials warning Amano of "the danger inherent to the Iranian nuclear program and the need for the international community to enlist to halt it."

Alluding to criticism at the IAEA of Israel's policies, the commission said Amano had also been urged "not to allow tendentious attempts to steer the international community's attention away from the real nuclear proliferation challenges of the Middle East."

But Amano at least seems to understand Israel's concerns more than his predecessor did.

Appointed in December, Amano has presided over more critical IAEA assessments of Iran, which is an NPT signatory. That has been welcomed by Israelis who had long distrusted Amano's Egyptian predecessor, Mohamad ElBaradei.

"Since you have taken office ... we feel a sense of professionalism, objectivity, and fairness," Israeli President Shimon Peres's office quoted him as telling Amano.

"Your position requires someone that all sides rely upon, someone who differentiates between good and evil, between those who try to deceive the international community and those who don't."

One can only wonder where we would have been today had this guy been in charge for the last ten years and not Egyptian 'brother' ElBaradei.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:58 PM