Israel dismisses nuke-free Mideast summit while, Iran Describes Israeli N. Arsenals as "Threat to Peace" .

Israel dismisses nuke-free Mideast summit while, Iran Describes Israeli N. Arsenals as "Threat to Peace".(AA). Israel will not attend a conference on creating a Middle East free of nuclear weapons scheduled to take place in Finland, the head of Israel’s Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC) has said, as U.S. warned that some Arab states could annul their peace treaties with Israel in case of an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Speaking at a meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on Wednesday, IAEC chief Shaul Horev said the situation in the Middle East was not yet “conducive” to the creation of a nuclear weapons-free zone. “Such a process can only be launched when peaceful relations exist for a reasonable period of time in the region,” Horev said, according to a transcript of his remarks. The impetus for a nuclear weapons-free zone must come from within the region, he said, according to AFP. “It cannot be imposed from outside. Regrettably, the realities in the Middle East are far from being conducive,” he said. “The concept of a region free of weapons of mass destruction, that has never been put to the test, even in the most peaceful regions of the world, is certainly much less applicable to the current volatile and hostile Middle East.”
Earlier this year, Finnish representatives travelled to Israel in a bid to convince the Jewish state to attend the meeting, which comes as the world grapples with the standoff over Iran’s nuclear program. Israel and much of the international community believes Iran’s nuclear program masks a drive for a weapons capability, a charge denied by Tehran, which says its activities are for civilian energy and medical purposes only. Israel, the Middle East’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, has said it will not rule out unilateral military action against Tehran to prevent it from developing a weapon. Horev also addressed remarks made last week by Jordan’s King Abdullah II in an exclusive AFP interview, accusing Israel of seeking to foil the kingdom’s nuclear energy program. “Israel supports the uses of nuclear power by its neighbors, to meet their energy and water needs,” he said. “Israel believes in the peaceful use of nuclear energy in the Middle East, as long as states fully honor their international non-proliferation obligations.” The Jewish state, he said, had assisted Amman by providing “comprehensive geological data” to help Jordan decide where to place its nuclear power site. Addressing 56th annual meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna on Thursday, Iran's Residing Representative to the IAEA Agency Ali Asqar Soltaniyeh lashed out at the UN Security Council for its inaction on nuclear activities of the Israeli regime. Stressing that the Israeli regime's existence is based on occupation, killing, oppression, aggression and threat, the Iranian diplomat said, "The possession of atomic weapons by such a regime will raise international concern by a hundred times." He emphasized that the Israeli regime is the only obstacle in the way of establishing a zone in the Middle-East free of nuclear weapons. Soltaniyeh stressed the importance of implementing the global demand for Tel Aviv to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).Hmmm.....We all knew this was coming.Read the full story here.