Israeli concern over world nuclear summit

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AHRON SHAPIRO

ISRAELI Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is likely to encounter pressure from several world leaders over Israel’s suspected nuclear arsenal when he attends a nuclear security summit hosted by US President Barack Obama next week.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced on April 6 that 46 nations as well as the United Nations, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency will be represented at the summit.

The summit is intended to focus on the prevention of the spread of nuclear weapons to terror groups, and is not as a forum to press for nuclear disarmament or international inspection of nuclear facilities in various countries.

Nevertheless, the summit has the potential to be the source of new friction between Israel and its Arab neighbours, as well as the United States.

With Jordan’s King Abdullah and Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, and top leaders of Algeria, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Turkey scheduled to be in attendance, there is concern that the conference’s
agenda may be co-opted to focus attention on Israel.

Ha’aretz reported on Tuesday (April 6) that Israeli officials are concerned that some speeches during the summit, including Mubarak’s, will condemn Israel’s nuclear program and call on the international community to press Israel to allow international inspection of its facilities and to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

In a sign of reassurance to Israel, Ellen Tauscher, the US under secretary of state for arms control, phoned Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon this week to inform him that the United States would continue to respect a policy of ambiguity on the nuclear arms of its allies, Ha’aretz reported.

In addition, the summit’s closing statement has reportedly already been finalised to ensure that the issue of inspection of Israel’s nuclear facilities did not come up in any official statement.