Iran Conf to discuss Israel nukes
Iran is to hold the second International Conference on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation to discuss Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity.
The conference will take place in Tehran on June 12 and 13, 2011, a year after the first such event was held under the title “Nuclear Energy for All, Nuclear Weapons for None,” a Press TV correspondent in Tehran reported.
The gathering will be attended by international experts, ambassadors and representatives from international bodies such as the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister Mehdi Akhoundzadeh told Press TV that the conference would shed light on Israel’s policy of nuclear ambiguity -- Israel’s refusal to neither confirm nor deny the possession of nuclear weapons.
“The second conference that we are going to host in a few days’ time in Tehran continues the sustainable efforts by the Islamic Republic of Iran in the past 20 years,” he said.
“We feel that there should be a very strong legal document, binding document, a verifiable document that all states, particularly those which have nuclear weapons, to go along with that document and we hope that in Tehran’s conference, through the contribution of the experts, we could prepare the ground for it.”
Since Israel began building its Dimona plutonium- and uranium-processing facility in the Negev desert in 1958, it is believed to have secretly manufactured scores of nuclear warheads, turning into the sole owner of such weapons in the Middle East.
Former US President Jimmy Carter has attested to the existence of the arsenal, which he has said includes between 200 to 300 warheads.
Enjoying Washington’s support, however, Tel Aviv has steadily refused to either declare the nuclear arsenal or join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Akhoundzadeh said the US and its allies continue to put pressure on countries like Iran that have no nuclear weapons, while ignoring Tel Aviv’s looming nuclear threats to the Middle East.
The US and its allies accuse Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program, and used this pretext to pressure the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.
Iran, an NPT signatory and a member of the IAEA, insists on its legal right to utilize nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Source: presstv.ir
