No additional nuke commitments until Israel joins NPT: Egypt

Egypt has ruled out any additional nuke commitments unless Israel signs NPT, even as it asked for making the West Asia a nuclear free zone.

Egypt has ruled out any additional nuke commitments unless Israel signs NPT, even as it asked for making the West Asia a nuclear free zone.

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Egypt rejects calls for additional commitments on the shoulders of non-nuclear Arab countries before Israel signs the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit was quoted by the ministry's spokesman as saying during a meeting with International Commission on NPT and Disarmament (ICNND) co-chairs Gareth Evans and Yoriko Kawaguchi.

The minister called upon the ICNND to include Arab demands to establish a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the West Asia, stressing the importance of pressuring Israel to join the treaty.

He also stressed the importance of preserving NPT member states' right to develop national nuclear programs for peaceful use. Israel is the only country in the Middle East so far to own nuclear heads.

Arab countries have repeatedly expressed their concern about the stability of the region under such circumstances.