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Israel to attend NPT conference for first time in two decades
Israeli representatives are attending an international nuclear non-proliferation conference at the United Nations in New York for the first time in 20 years.
The conference takes place every five years and is attended by all the countries that are signatories to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Israel maintains a policy of nuclear ambiguity, refusing to either confirm or deny its atomic capability. As it is not a signatory to the treaty, Israel is attending the conference which opened yesterday purely as an observer.
Previous conferences have seen Israel specifically targeted, especially by other Middle East countries. Given the hostile atmosphere, Israel has invariably opted to stay away from the gathering. However, Israeli officials have indicated that the current common regional concern, including among some Arab countries, over Iran’s nuclear development and the nascent deal with the P5+1 powers (US, UK, France, Russia, China and Germany) has prompted a change.
Reuters quotes an anonymous Israeli official saying, “We think that this is the time for all moderate countries to sit and discuss the problems that everyone is facing in the region … I see this, coming as an observer to the conference now, as trying to demonstrate our good faith in terms of having such a conversation.”
In October 2013, Israeli and Arab officials met in Switzerland for short-lived discussions on the conditions which would be needed for a regional conference on nuclear weapons. Israel proposed that the conference necessitate direct contact between the countries and that talks be limited not only to nuclear weapons, but other security issues including terror, missiles and weapons smuggling.
Meanwhile, on the side lines of yesterday’s opening session of the NPT Review Conference, US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif. Neither commented on their talks, but Kerry told the conference itself that “we are, in fact, closer than ever to the good comprehensive deal that we have been seeking” with Iran.