AL chief stresses need to halt military nuclear program
www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-11 04:48:19   Print

    CAIRO, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary General Amr Moussa on Saturday stressed the need to halt any military nuclear programs for the best interest of everyone in the Middle East region.

    What threatens stability in the area are actually the nuclear programs that are not subject to international monitoring such as the Israeli one, Moussa told reporters, referring to Israel's continued balking at joining the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    Israel, which neither denies nor admits its access to nuclear weapons, was considered as the only country in the Middle East "to have nuclear weapons and nuclear capabilities which are not under international control" and taken as a threat to the regional security by Arab countries.

    The AL chief also condemned Israel's attack on Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

    On Thursday, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transportation Shaul Mofaz called for ElBaradei to be removed as head of UN nuclear watchdog, accusing him of turning a blind eye to Iran's nuclear ambitions.

    On Oct. 28, ElBaradei said that he possessed no evidence that Iran is building nuclear weapons.

    Also in October, ElBaradei told France's Le Monde newspaper that Iran would need another three to eight years allegedly to make a nuclear bomb and warned against any haste to use force to curb its nuclear activities.

    Moussa expressed his astonishment at Israel's criticism on the IAEA chief, who represents an international organization that plays a key role in safeguarding nuclear non-proliferation and dealing with nuclear conditions that endanger various regional areas including the Middle East.

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that Iran has already installed 3,000 centrifuges for uranium enrichment in defiance of the UN's calls for the project's suspension.

    The UN Security Council has imposed two resolutions against Tehran's nuclear program since last December, demanding a halt be called to the uranium enrichment work. Iran's senior officials have repeatedly refused the request.

Editor: Yan Liang
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