LOC20:07
17:07 GMT
VIENNA, Sept 14 (KUNA) -- Board of Governors at the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) discussed Tuesday safeguards implemented by the UN
nuclear watchdog with member states, foremost North Korea, Iran and Syria.
The 35-member Board is discussing how Iran, Syria and North Korea were
committed to the safeguards agreements with the IAEA within the nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The meetings are expected to be crucial in the next two days because they
will center on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, specially after IAEA
Director General Yukiya Amano's report over the Israeli nuclear capabilities.
US Ambassador to the IAEA Glyn Davies called on the Arab countries anew to
withdrew their draft resolution which called on Israel to sign the NPT, saying
the bill would send a negative message to the peace talks in the Middle East.
The Arab group criticized Amano's report because it did not include an open
invitation to Israel to join the NPT.
Israel refused the call and described it as a politically-motivated Arab
campaign and a bid to distract attention away from "real proliferation threats
from Iran and Syria."
The Arab group accused the West of double standards specially in the Middle
East region, saying that Israel was the only country in the region refusing to
implement the safeguards.
Arab well-informed sources told KUNA the Arab group would ask Amano to
exercise real pressure on Israel to make it abide by last year's IAEA general
conference's resolutions, which called upon the Jewish state to join NPT.
They said the fact the international community was busy with the Iranian
and Syrian nuclear files should not "make us forget the threats of the Israeli
nuclear capabilities which are not subject to international inspection and
supervision."
Amano had called, in a speech at the opening session of the Board of
Governors, on Iran not to ignore the resolutions of the UN Security Council
and the IAEA, and to assure the international community of the peaceful nature
of its nuclear program. (end)
amg.bs
KUNA 142007 Sep 10NNNN