|
|
|
  |
| Sunday, 29 May 2005 |
 |
|
 |
World |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Iran says US, Israel are the real nuclear threats UNITED NATIONS, Saturday (Reuters) The United States and Israel represent the real nuclear threat to the world, not Iran, Tehran's chief envoy to the United Nations said on Friday after an abortive conference on controlling nuclear weapons. Javad Zarif, Iran's ambassador to the U.N., said the United States never intended to scrap its nuclear arsenal, despite promising to eventually disarm when it signed the 1970 nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the landmark arms control pact. Zarif, in an interview with Reuters, said Israel, which is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, was the threat to the Middle East region. "There is unanimity on the threat that is posed not only by Israeli nuclear weapons but by its aggressive policy (in general)," he said. Washington is backing efforts by Britain, France and Germany to persuade Tehran to halt its nuclear fuel program, which they fear may be intended to make atomic bombs. Iran denies this, insisting its program is peaceful. Zarif dismissed as hollow U.S. pledges in 1995 and 2000 reaffirming its commitment to scrap its nuclear arsenal. "The U.S. never had any intention of living up to its commitments under Article 6 of the treaty," he said. In Article 6 of the NPT the five treaty signatories with nuclear weapons - Russia, the United States, France, Britain and China - agreed to eventually disarm. Zarif said U.S. attacks on Iran's nuclear program were a "smoke screen to divert attention from its violations" that included a U.S. willingness "to use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear weapon states." Every five years the 188 members of the NPT meet for a month to review the landmark treaty. |
|
|||||||||
| News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security
| Produced by Lake House |
