IAEA votes AGAINST resolution calling on Israel to join NPT after US fails to stop vote
Member states of the UN nuclear agency on Friday rejected an Arab resolution singling out Israel for criticism over its assumed atomic arsenal, in a diplomatic victory for Western powers that opposed the initiative.
Arab states had submitted the non-binding resolution to the annual gathering in Vienna for the first time since 2010 to signal their frustration at the lack of progress in efforts to move toward a Middle East free of nuclear weapons. Fifty-one countries voted against the text and 43 states for.
Frustrated over the indefinite postponement last year of an international conference on banning atomic arms in the region, Arab states proposed a non-binding resolution expressing concern about "Israeli nuclear capabilities."
The resolution called on Israel to join a global anti-nuclear weapons treaty and place its nuclear facilities under IAEA monitoring.
The United States said this week the move would hurt broader diplomatic efforts towards creating a Middle East zone free of weapons of mass destruction. Israel said it would deal a "serious blow" to any attempt to hold regional security talks.
Hmmm. I wonder what made so many countries come to their senses. By the way, how did the US vote? Here's betting they voted 'present'.....But Ambassador Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, head of the Arab League group at the IAEA, made clear the text would not be withdrawn before a vote ... on Friday.
Labels: Barack Hussein Obama, IAEA, Iranian nuclear threat, Israeli nuclear capability
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:07 PM
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