IAEA resolution looms large on Israel Arab states remain adamant about bringing Israel to account for its nuclear activities by proposing a relevant draft resolution to UN's nuclear watchdog for its upcoming annual conference. As the 54th annual general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is set to convene next week, there is great international anticipation for a major focus on Tel Aviv's nuclear activities, after so many years of ignoring the issue. "The Arab Group urges to keep the item 'Israeli nuclear capabilities' on the agenda of the general conference and ... will submit a draft resolution," said the Sudanese envoy to the organization, Mahmound El-Amin on behalf of 22 Arab states, AFP reported. "The Arab Group requests the IAEA member states to support the draft resolution and vote in favor of it," he added. The Israeli regime is widely believed to have manufactured numerous nuclear warheads since 1958, a year after IAEA's inception. The agency, however, has so far refused to ratify any resolutions on Israel's nuclear activities. Former US President Jimmy Carter has attested to the existence of the Israeli nuclear arsenal, confirming that it includes between 200 to 300 warheads. Decades of recurrent reporting and aerial footage have also established the Israeli possession of atomic arms. The IAEA Director General, Yukiya Amano recently reported to the agency's Board of Governors about the nuclear program, saying that Tel Aviv was restricting the agency from examining its nuclear potentials. The report, however, merely calls on Tel Aviv to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and "place all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards," with no enforcement or follow-up measures behind it. El-Amin called the report "weak and disappointing" and said that the organization uses "double standards" when it comes to Israel. Efforts by Arab states and other countries caused an NPT review conference in May to issue a statement, highlighting the importance of Tel Aviv's acceding to the treaty and its allowing the IAEA to fully inspect its nuclear sites. The United States, Israel's strongest ally, has served its Arab allies with a warning against supporting the draft resolution on Israel's nuclear activities, arguing that it poses risks to the renewed direct talks between the Tel Aviv regime and the Palestinian Authority (PA). Many Palestinian groups have already abandoned hope in the process, citing the White House's partiality in favor of the Israelis and arguing that the acting PA Chief, Mahmoud Abbas, does not represent most Palestinians. Article Source: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/142772.html Show Less >>