UNITED NATIONS — After 15 years, Arab nations finally won agreement from the United States and the other nuclear powers to take the first step toward banning nuclear weapons from the Middle East. Now the next move is Israel’s.
But the Israeli government rejected the resolution Saturday, calling it “deeply flawed and hypocritical.”
The U.S. joined the 188 other member nations of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty on Friday in giving a green light to a conference in 2012 “on the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction.” But senior U.S. officials appeared to backtrack afterward, setting several conditions for the talks to go ahead.
Taking the toughest line, U.S. National Security Adviser Gen. James Jones said in a statement Friday night that the United States has “serious reservations” about the 2012 conference and thinks Mideast peace and full compliance by all countries in the region to their arms control and nonproliferation obligations “are essential precursors” of a WMD-free zone.
The compliance demand appeared to be aimed at Iran, which the U.S. thinks is pursuing a nuclear weapons program despite Iran’s claims its only goal is nuclear power.
Jones also strongly defended longtime U.S. ally Israel, which was singled out for not being a member of the treaty. He said the United States “deplores” the naming of Israel, which puts prospects for the 2012 conference “in doubt.”
Israel, which has not signed the treaty, said because of the “distorted nature” of the resolution, it would not take part in its implementation.
