Iranian Radio Says US, Israel Oppose Nuclear-Weapons-Free Middle East
Posted on: Saturday, 1 October 2005, 06:00 CDT
Text of report by Iranian radio on 1 October
International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] drafted a resolution at the end of its recent general session calling for a nuclear-weapons- free zone in Middle East. Our expert in Middle East affairs, Mr Kheradmand, offers his thoughts on creating nuclear-weapons-free zones in the world.
[Kheradmand] One of the practical way of preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons in the world, and implementing the Article 6 of the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty], which calls for complete and general disarmament, is to create nuclear-weapons- free zones. Efforts to eradicate nuclear weapons coincided with the ratification of NPT in the late 1960s. Currently, there are three nuclear-weapons-free zones in Latin America, Caribbean Islands, Pacific Oceans, South Pacific and South East Asia. And if 28 African countries were to ratify Treaty of Pelindaba, that continent would also become a nuclear- weapons-free zone. Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan reached an agreement in September 2002 aimed at making the region a nuclear-weapons-free zone.
Iran and Egypt put forth a proposal in the UN General Assembly, 30 years ago, calling for a nuclear-weapons-free Middle East. However, Israel has always opposed the idea - being supported by America which would like for that regime to maintain its nuclear facilities. This has prevented Middle East from becoming a nuclear- weapons-free zone. Mr al-Baradi'i's has always expressed his unequivocal support for this idea. We have also witnessed great support for this idea - nonce again- in the last general meeting of the IAEA. However, there is no hope of achieving this important goal until such time when serious pressure is put on the Zionist regime.
Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East
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