By Pakistan Observer

Geneva�Iran and�Israel�have clashed at the�annual�meeting of the UN atomic agency, further�throwing�into doubt a hoped-for 2012�conference�on creating a Middle East free of nuclear�weapons.

In lively debates at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) gathering of its 155 member states, Iran said on Thursday that�Israel�should accede to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty aimed at stopping the spread of nuclear�weapons. At present the Israeli regime is the only non-party to the NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] in this region despite repeated calls by the international community,� Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran�s envoy to the IAEA, said.

�Peace and stability cannot be achieved in the Middle East while the massive nuclear arsenal of that regime continues to threaten the region and beyond,� he said. Ehud Azoulay, the Israeli envoy, in turn pointed the finger at Iran and Syria, saying �the most significant threats to the nuclear non-proliferation regime are those, that pursue�weapons�under the guise of their NPT membership�.

�It is Iran which represents the greatest threat to peace and�security�in the Middle East and beyond,� he said. �No words in this room could distort the real facts behind Iran�s drive to nuclear�weapons.��AP

 

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