[release]US officials are in talks with Egypt over a plan to make the Middle East a nuclear-free zone, part of an effort to block the Iranian nuclear program, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
Citing unnamed US officials, the newspaper said the White House wanted to build on a non-binding agreement that emerged from a 1995 UN review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
That agreement had designated the region as a zone free of weapons of mass destruction: the aim now was to promote a Middle East nuclear weapons-free zone, which would include Israel, the Arab states, Iran and Turkey.
The US administration was also seeking a conference on the subject.
US officials said talks with Egypt would resume in New York in the coming month during the month-long nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, the paper said.
"We've made a proposal to them that goes beyond what the US has been willing to do before," the Journal quotes one senior US official as saying.
However, US officials stressed that they didn't believe progress in the nuclear-free zone talks would happen without first achieving major advances in Arab-Israeli peace talks, the paper noted.
The United States had also discussed the proposal with the Arab League and other members of the Non-Aligned Movement, the paper reported, quoting Ellen Tauscher, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security.
But this latest initiative could raise new tensions between President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Journal said.
Israel has never publicly acknowledged having nuclear weapons, maintaining a policy of deliberate ambiguity since it inaugurated its Dimona nuclear reactor in 1965.
It is not a party to the NPT, which requires international inspections.
A new nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review summit opens Monday at UN headquarters in New York. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to participate.
The summit comes as the United States and its partners seek to craft a new UN resolution imposing a fresh round of sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear program.
On Tuesday, Egypt's UN Ambassador Maged Abdel Aziz said that establishing a Middle East nuclear-free zone at the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference was the key to resolving the nuclear standoff with Iran.
Iran denies the charges that its civilian nuclear program hides a covert quest for an atomic arsenal, but has refused to freeze uranium enrichment, which can be a key step towards developing a nuclear weapon.[/release]
[url]http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/us-egypt-negotiate-mideast-nuclearfree-zone-report-20100501-u04b.html[/url]
Will never work, Some cranky middle eastern will always be there
This is like telling a kid to share and be nice.
Might work with a few kids but not every single one.
No nukes for Israel?
No nukes for Iran?
Sounds like a win-win.
I doubt Israel would comply, however.
Nuclear free zone?
We're getting desperate.
Nuclear free zone is not desperate, even India and Pakistan wish they could go back to before they had the potential for mutual assured destruction. Part of the Reason Ronald Reagan wanted less Nukes is because he didn't like the responsibility of pushing the button. Nukes aren't really good for much.
I can see why Egypt is supporting this, it's hard to imagine Israel or Iran giving them up though. Israel feels backed into a corner and this is their contingency plan, Iran wants to be a world leader and they need nukes for that so it's gonna be hard to deter them. Unless they have something to offer in exchange (or a serious threat that they will notice), I don't see it happening right now.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;21706876]No nukes for Israel?
No nukes for Iran?
Sounds like a win-win.
I doubt Israel would comply, however.[/QUOTE]
the US is a partner they wouldn't want to lose. i think they'd abide, or at least make a deal of some sort.
[QUOTE=Jessesmith1;21707801]the US is a partner they wouldn't want to lose. i think they'd abide, or at least make a deal of some sort.[/QUOTE]
If they feel their sovereignty would be at risk by giving up nukes, they would be willing to keep them even if it means offending the U.S. They have their priorities.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;21706876]No nukes for Israel?
No nukes for Iran?
Sounds like a win-win.
I doubt Israel would comply, however.[/QUOTE]
Iran seems less likely than Israel.
[QUOTE=Jessesmith1;21707801]the US is a partner they wouldn't want to lose. i think they'd abide, or at least make a deal of some sort.[/QUOTE]
I doubt it. They've been stretching the leash a lot lately, and frankly they've been dropping pretty obvious hints that they don't care what the US thinks. We'll end up never dropping support, for whatever reason.
Ohhh... Uncle Sam is getting scared?
[QUOTE=carcarcargo;21713593]Iran seems less likely than Israel.[/QUOTE]As of now I would say the opposite, Iran has been progressing since the beginning of 2010. They allow IAEA inspectors all of their facilities and even signed the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, they have also been attending Nuclear conferences, and another one in a few days (Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons conference) hosted by Obama. The IAEA and all 16 United States Intelligence Agencies are also unanimous in agreement that Iran is not building and does not possess nuclear weapons.
Israel still denies that they have Nuclear weapons.
Are you actually afraid of Israel having nuclear weapons? They would never use it against an ally (I.E. almost everyone). I doubt they would use them at all. (Even against Iran or any other "enemy" country)
I doubt this "peace" will last. Mostly everyone in the region wants to nuke each other. Not just Israel and Iran.
[QUOTE=Tigster;21713927]I doubt it. They've been stretching the leash a lot lately, and frankly they've been dropping pretty obvious hints that they don't care what the US thinks. We'll end up never dropping support, for whatever reason.[/QUOTE]
You could say the US has been the one not caring about Israel.
[QUOTE=Thom12255;21715415]You could say the US has been the one not caring about Israel.[/QUOTE]
I hate it when you guys think the U.S hates Israel. They're committed to Israel's security. Thank the pro-Israeli lobby.
[QUOTE=starpluck;21715441]I hate it when you guys think the U.S hates Israel. They're committed to Israel's security. Thank the pro-Israeli lobby.[/QUOTE]
Israel is a major buyer of American weapons. They don't want to piss them off and lose those weapon contracts.
[QUOTE=Crhem van der B;21715315]Are you actually afraid of Israel having nuclear weapons? They would never use it against an ally (I.E. almost everyone). I doubt they would use them at all. (Even against Iran or any other "enemy" country)[/QUOTE]
They haven't even admitted that they have them, and they have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity so I wouldn't be surprised.
[QUOTE=cheeseman52;21715451]Israel is a major buyer of American weapons. They don't want to piss them off and lose those weapon contracts.[/QUOTE]
And the $4+ billion dollars annual cash of tax payer money.
[QUOTE=Best4bond;21706808]Some cranky middle eastern will always be there[/QUOTE]
yeah blame the Middle Easterners
it's obviously all their fault
[QUOTE=JDK721;21715477]yeah blame the Middle Easterners
it's obviously all their fault[/QUOTE]
Last time I checked most of them wanted to kill each other. So yeah its kinda their fault.
[QUOTE=cheeseman52;21715499]Last time I checked most of them wanted to kill each other. So yeah its kinda their fault.[/QUOTE]
I think he was more referring to their government, not the people. But last time I checked they didn't want to kill each other.
[editline]04:31PM[/editline]
I mean, that's just stupid to say that. Israel will always keep them united.
[QUOTE=PrismatexV8;21706876]No nukes for Israel?
No nukes for Iran?
Sounds like a win-win.
I doubt Israel would comply, however.[/QUOTE]
The US has Israel by the balls though, we are pretty much the one thing defending Israel from everyone else. even if they were to get nukes, one city gets destroyed and the whole world comes in and fucks them up.
[QUOTE=Mr_Sun;21715562]The US has Israel by the balls though, we are pretty much the one thing defending Israel from everyone else. even if they were to get nukes, one city gets destroyed and the whole world comes in and fucks them up.[/QUOTE]
more like Israel has the US by the balls
[QUOTE=Mr_Sun;21715562]The US has Israel by the balls though, we are pretty much the one thing defending Israel from everyone else. even if they were to get nukes, one city gets destroyed and the whole world comes in and fucks them up.[/QUOTE]
The U.S needs to tighten that leash.
[editline]04:38PM[/editline]
Israel has been treating the U.S like shit over the past few months.
Correct me if Im wrong but this is coming from my World History Teacher:
UN Created Israel after WWII for all the Jews.
Israel gets everyone pissed off because they want THAT to be THEIR land.
US defends and looks like a threat if anybody were to mess with Israel.
Plus Israel buys weapons from US so why would we WANT them to get destroyed? Mutual friendship the way I see it.
-60+ year old Lesbian History Teacher from Texas
Hmm no?
UN created Israel after WW2 for all Jews not to annahilated yet again if there will be another holocaust (not the only reason, since talks about making a Jewish country came from 1880~)
All Arab nations get pissed at Israel because many of the last the UN gave them were settled by Arabs.
War starts in 1948, Israel (indirectly supported by other nations, such as the UK, USA and whatnot) repels the attackers and captures even more lands.
Then this repeats a few times, even with less support from other countries, and that's it really.
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