Egypt calls on Israel to join NPT

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit has called on Israel to join the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and let the International Atomic Energy Agency apply the guarantee system on its nuclear facilities, the official MENA news agency reported Monday.

Abul Gheit, who is currently visiting China, made the appeal in an address to the inaugural session of the Mediterranean seminar of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). His speech was read out by Ramzy Ezzeldin, Egypt's ambassador to Austria and its representative to the OSCE.

Abul Gheit said that a double-standard policy adopted in the Mideast region is unfruitful and is a clear-cut violation of all principles of the organization.

He renewed Egypt's commitment to turning the Mideast to a nuclear-free area, underlining the importance of finding a just solution to all regional conflicts, including the Arab-Israeli one.

Many Arab countries, including Egypt, believed that Israel is the only Mideast nation to have nuclear weapons, but Israel has never admitted or denied it. Israel is the only non-NPT nation in the Middle East.

He said that continued Israeli occupation of the Palestinian lands and a policy adopted by Israel against the Palestinians will not provide any security to Israel.

Israel's withdrawal from all occupied Palestinian lands and the establishment of a Palestinian state side by side with Israel are the only way to achieve a lasting peace in the region, he said.

He also said that fighting terrorism is among spheres of cooperation between the OSCE and south Mediterranean countries.

"But in order to treat this problem effectively, we have to search for its roots that are fed by occupation, sufferings, intolerance, poverty and injustice," he said.

Source: Xinhua