 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Jerusalem (AFP) Aug 25, 2010 Israeli President Shimon Peres on Wednesday told the visiting head of the UN's atomic watchdog that his organization must respond with "severity" to Iran's nuclear ambitions and its threats against the Jewish state. Greeting Yukiya Amano on his first visit to Israel since becoming head of the International Atomic Energy Agency last December, Peres praised changes the new chief had made to the institution and took a thinly-veiled swipe at his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei. "As a result of this substantive change Israel feels has taken place at the IAEA, we can speak this morning professionally and in a friendly atmosphere. From our perspective this is a new experience," Peres' office quoted him as telling Amano. Israel, the United States and other Western countries believe that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ultimately seeks to build a nuclear arsenal. Iran, which on Saturday began loading fuel into its Russian-built first nuclear power plant, denies the allegations, saying its programme is for civil energy purposes only. "The statements of Ahmadinejad calling for the destruction of Israel and denying the Holocaust are unprecedented in the diplomatic world and international community," the president said. "The IAEA should treat them with the required severity," added Peres, who is considered to be the father of Israel's own nuclear programme. Amano's visit comes against a backdrop of demands by some IAEA members that Israel, generally considered to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear-armed power, sign the international Non-Proliferation Treaty. The Haaretz daily reported on Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had snubbed Amano by last week abruptly cancelling a meeting that was scheduled months ago. US President Barack Obama last month assured Netanyahu that a proposed 2012 conference on establishing a nuclear weapons-free Middle East would not single out Israel. Wednesday's statement from Peres' office quoted Amano as saying that he had so far met Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Yaalon and visited the Soreq Nuclear Research Centre, whose activities are monitored by the IAEA. The presidential statement added that Shaul Horev, head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, also took part in Wednesday's talks.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Kuwait concerned over Iran's Bushehr nuclear plantKuwait City (AFP) Aug 24, 2010 Kuwait has expressed safety concerns over Iran's new nuclear reactor on the opposite side of the Gulf, fearing fallout from possible leaks, the official news agency KUNA reported. "Kuwait's concern is based on fears of any leaks due to natural causes that may have future consequences," foreign ministry undersecretary Khaled al-Jarallah said, quoted by KUNA late on Monday. Kuwait is the n ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook
