(AP-Boston Globe) George Jahn - Russia joined the U.S. and Britain on Tuesday in backing Israel's view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a nuclear arms-free zone without progress on regional peace. The three nations also blunted Arab efforts at an International Atomic Energy Agency meeting in Vienna to create such a zone. Moscow's decision to join Washington and London in the joint statement of support for Israel's view was a rare nod from Moscow recognizing Israel's security concerns. "While Nuclear Weapon-Free zones improve the security of the entire international community, they do not exist in isolation from other security factors," said the statement. That dovetails with Israel's view that peace must prevail in the Middle East before it can be made into a nuclear-free zone. "Experience shows that such a process can only be launched when normal, peaceful relations exist in the region, when the threat perception of all regional members is low, and only after basic confidence is established among states of the region," said David Danieli, Israel's deputy nuclear chief.
2011-11-23 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive