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IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei.
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Last update - 04:50 19/09/2009
UN body urges Israel to allow nuclear inspection
By Reuters
Tags: Iran, Israel news, UN 

Arab states in the United Nations nuclear assembly on Friday won narrow approval of a resolution urging Israel to put all its atomic sites under the world body's inspection and join the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israel deplored the measure for singling it out while many of its neighbors remained hostile to its existence, and said it would not cooperate with it.

The non-binding resolution, which passed for the first time in 18 years of attempts thanks to more developing nation votes, voiced concern about "Israeli nuclear capabilities" and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to tackle the issue.
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Israel is one of only three countries worldwide along with India and Pakistan outside the nuclear NPT and is widely assumed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal, though it has never confirmed or denied this.

Iranian Ambassador Ali Asghar Soltanieh, whose country's disputed nuclear program is under IAEA investigation, told reporters Friday's vote was a "glorious moment" and "a triumph for the oppressed nation of Palestine".

UN Security Council members Russia and China also backed the resolution, which passed by 49 votes to 45 against in a floor vote at the IAEA's annual member states conference.

The vote split along Western and developing nation lines. There were 16 abstentions.

"Israel will not cooperate in any matter with this resolution which is only aiming at reinforcing political hostilities and lines of division in the Middle East region," chief Israeli delegate David Danieli told the chamber.

Western states said it was unfair and counterproductive to isolate one member state. They said an IAEA resolution passed on Thursday, urging all Middle East nations to foreswear atomic bombs, included Israel and made Friday's proposal unnecessary.

Arab nations said Israel had brought the resolution on itself by having never signed the 40-year-old NPT.

Before the vote, U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies said the resolution was "redundant ... Such an approach is highly politicized and does not address the complexities at play regarding crucial nuclear-related issues in the Middle East."

Calling the resolution "unbalanced", Canada tried to block a vote on the floor with a "no-action motion". But the procedural maneuver lost by an eight-vote margin. The same motion prevailed in 2007 and 2008.

A senior diplomat from the non-aligned movement of developing nations said times had changed.

"People and countries are bolder now, willing to call a spade a spade. You cannot hide or ignore the truth, the double standards, of Israel's nuclear capability forever," he said.

"The new U.S. [Obama] administration has certainly helped this thinking with its commitment to universal nuclear disarmament and nuclear weapons-free zones," they said.

The measure was last voted on in 1991 when it passed by 39-31 with 13 abstentions when IAEA membership was much smaller.

Since then there have only been official summaries of debate on this item or successful motions for adjournment or no action.


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      1.   Curiousity killed the cat. 18:42  |  Stephen. 18/09/09
      2.   Israel can only consider binding resolutions 18:43  |  Murray of Montreal 18/09/09
      3.   Symington Amendment. 18:52  |  G.L.C. 18/09/09
      4.   DOA 19:04  |  teeman 18/09/09
      5.   UN urges Israel to allow nuclear inspection 19:34  |  flora 18/09/09
      6.   American 19:36  |  Anywhere 18/09/09
      7.   Western Double Standard 19:36  |  Aplu 18/09/09
      8.   Ha, like Israel would let an Arab nuclear committee dictate 20:12  |  Chaim Ben Kahan 18/09/09
      9.   Inspection of Israel`s Nuclear Sites 20:32  |  Frustrated 18/09/09
      10.   flora - Why should Israel allow "inspections"? 20:42  |  Fish 18/09/09
      11.   the urgency is with iran, not Israel 20:46  |  Mark 18/09/09
      12.   allow nuclear inspection 21:01  |  drdanielito 18/09/09
      13.   Fence 21:39  |  Jarda 18/09/09
      14.   Do Unto Others and You Would Have Them Do Unto You - Inspection 21:40  |  Ed 18/09/09
      15.   just about time 21:50  |  A H 18/09/09
      16.   Sorry UN (Useless Nations) Aint gonna happen! 22:00  |  4:20 18/09/09
      17.   "Singled out" 22:11  |  Michael 18/09/09
      18.   but what does this really resolve? 22:29  |  Richard S 18/09/09
      19.   Re: Fish 22:43  |  Apa 18/09/09
      20.   Why? 22:57  |  leoblue 18/09/09
      21.   These Arab nations think to pull the Lions teeth 22:57  |  Josiah J. Ben David 18/09/09
      22.   Don`t give Israel a need for nukes 00:09  |  judith 19/09/09
      23.   # 5 Flora--The reason to allow Inspections Now 00:35  |  Stephen 19/09/09
      24.   #10, et al 00:37  |  bob, non-anti-semite 19/09/09
      25.   I reckon its because Dimona 00:38  |  kiwi girl 19/09/09
      26.   Israel`s teflon shield is no longer 00:42  |  Ben L. 19/09/09
      27.   To no 14 01:24  |  Abe 19/09/09
      28.   American: hullo? where have you been? 01:34  |  Michelle 19/09/09
      29.   to stephen 06:19  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      30.   to Richard 06:25  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      31.   to leoblue 06:31  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      32.   to Mark 06:39  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      33.   to Michelle 06:42  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      34.   SANCTIONS AND BOYCOTT FOR ISRAEL!!! 06:46  |  clockwerk 19/09/09
      35.   Well don`t complain if the neighbours build bombs like yours 07:06  |  Marilyn 19/09/09
      36.   Israeli nukes - who cares? 07:54  |  Palestinian Brit 19/09/09
      37.   Secrecy has been effective 08:25  |  Jochai Rubinstein 19/09/09
      38.   I wonder why India, Pakistan and N. Korea are not also "urged"? 10:58  |  George 19/09/09
      39.   UN nuclear inspection 12:50  |  jose m. reyes 19/09/09
      40.   fish--why Israel should not allow inspections 13:05  |  Labhras 19/09/09
      41.   Iran`s leader denied holocaust again today 13:19  |  Texbelle 19/09/09
      42.   UN, Medinat Israel, Nuce Inspections 14:38  |  Ricardo Kolbe 19/09/09
      43.   Why should Israel listen to the Arab spies? 15:18  |  Settler 19/09/09
      44.   FORCED INSPECTION 15:56  |  Robert Johnson 19/09/09
      45.   UN body urges Israel to allow nuclear inspection 02:29  |  Adamwestiii 29/10/09
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