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Commentator Says Iran, Arab Countries Want Nuclear-Weapon-Free Mideast

Posted on: Saturday, 17 September 2005, 06:00 CDT

Text of report by Iranian radio on 17 September

President Mahmud Ahmadinezhad met with the head of Arab League Amr Musa on the sideline of the UN General Assembly. Amr Musa expressed support for Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear technology.

Our Middle East expert, Mr Kazemzadeh offers his thoughts on the subject:

[Kazemzadeh] Clearly there are some differences between Iran and other Arab countries, especially over Iraq

. Some Arab media and political circles have blatantly fanned the flames of conflict between Iran and the West over the nuclear issue. But Iran and the Arab countries do share the same overall view regarding the nuclear issue on regional and global level, including a push for a nuclear- weapon-free Middle East, forcing Israel to sign NPT [Non- Proliferation Treaty] and promoting the rights of the regional countries to use peaceful nuclear energy. The Arab League and Non- Aligned Member [NAM] countries' support for Iran's right to use peaceful nuclear technology stem from the fact that they share the same interest with Tehran in this matter. Egypt, as does Iran, is pushing hard for a nuclear-weapon-free Middle East. Cairo has drawn extensive plans for peaceful use of nuclear energy. The absence of oil and other energy resources in that country has prompted Egypt to adopt a practical view regarding the use of peaceful nuclear energy.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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