By NNN-KUNA,
Vienna : The Arab countries have officially tabled a draft resolution, sounding alarm against “Israel’s nuclear capabilities,” to the ongoing 52nd General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) here on Monday.
The draft resolution, a renewed and modified Arab effort to shed light on the dangers posed by Israel nuclear activities to the regional security, is backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
A similar move was shelved last year after the Arab countries failed to lobby for it at the annual conference of 145-member IAEA.
The new move warns all Middle East against testing or developing atomic weapons or obstructing the efforts to declare the Middle East a nuclear-free zone.
The document, titled “Israel’s nuclear capabilities,” reiterates the call on Israel to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and open all its nuclear facilities to the IAEA inspectors.
The Israeli nuclear facilities pose a grave danger to the regional stability as long as they fail to meet the safeguards of the IAEA, according to the document.
It also calls on the chief of the UN nuclear watchdog to work with all concerned parties towards ratification of the move.
It recalls all relevant resolutions and statements which were adopted by the previous IAEA annual conferences as well as the Arab-sponsored resolutions which were adopted by the NPT Extension Conference in 1995 and the NPT Revision Conference in 2000.
The Arab move is based on UN Security Council resolutions notably the resolution 487 for 1981 which called on Israel to put all its nuclear facilities under supervision and technical safeguards of the IAEA.
Insiders of the IAEA deemed the move a moderate and practical one as it took into account the concerns of western countries over the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
In statements to KUNA, the insiders voiced confidence that the move had better chances for being adopted by the current conference than the previous one.
They cited the growing support by regional blocs such as the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and key members of the IAEA.