Haider Rizvi

The US has sought to keep a tight focus on the suspected nuclear activities of Iran and North Korea at month-long talks here on the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). But other countries also have highlighted the impact of Israel’s nuclear weapons arsenal on efforts to establish a Middle East nuclear-free zone. To be sure, diplomats from Arab and developing countries said they share some of US President Bush’s concerns about Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. During open debate that has lasted for the past two weeks, however, speakers also have urged the international community to help set up a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East by urging Israel to give up its nuclear weapons programme. “The presence of nuclear arms is an impediment to peace not only in the region, but in the world,” Qatari diplomat Nasr Al Ali told delegates at the talks, held every five years. Demands to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons stem from a number of UN General Assembly resolutions and recommendations made by consensus at past NPT review conferences. Armed with an estimated 200-300 nuclear bombs, Israel has said that it is willing to join the treaty but only after a comprehensive peace agreement has been reached with its Arab neighbours, many of whom it has described as “hostile” nations.

Pro-Israel policy advocates specialising in nuclear issues said Iran stood out as the greatest potential source of nuclear destabilisation in the Middle East. Both India and Pakistan, which tested nuclear weapons in 1998, have refused to sign the treaty. North Korea, defying US pressure to abandon its nuclear programme, opted out of the treaty about two years ago.

Interviews with the US diplomatic sources did not indicate significant movement in such a direction. The responses suggested that while Washington recognises the need for a nuclear-free zone in the Mideast, it has no public intention as yet of convincing Israel to sign the NPT. In the 1990s, the US, Israel, and Arab nations all had supported the goal of non-proliferation but they failed to make any progress toward itd. Numerous delegates, citing what they described as US attempts to make Iran the focus of international debates on proliferation while turning a blind eye to Israel’s illegal possession of nuclear weapons, said they were compelled to dub the US nuclear policy as based on double standards and hypocrisy. Even so, while voicing disappointment with the US role, Arab diplomats are actively participating in the review conference negotiations. Egypt has emerged in a leadership role. Representing the Non-Aligned Movement of 115 developing countries, the Egyptian delegation is urging the conference to set up a subsidiary body to implement its past resolutions on nuclear weapons free zones. This month’s talks are scheduled to wind down on May 27. Few if any diplomats said they expect major progress on the Middeast or any other items on their agenda. But that will not stop them from pressing the case. —IPS