Vienna - The UN nuclear assembly voted on Friday to
urge Israel to accede to the 'Non-Proliferation Treaty' (NPT) and place all its atomic sites under UN
inspections. The resolution, passed for the first time in nearly two decades, expresses concern about Israeli nuclear capabilities and called on
'International Atomic Energy Agency' chief to work on the
issue. Initially, Western states tried to stop the resolution from going to a vote, arguing it would be counterproductive to single out
Israel, particularly after a resolution had been passed the day before calling on all states in the Middle East to foreswear nuclear
weapons .
Dieter Graumann, Vice-president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany,
commented (concerning one of the voting countries):
"Efficient sanctions against that régime
of terror and hatred are overdue. Nuclear weapons in
the hands of these reckless criminals, preparing the
next possible 'holocaust', would be a
concrete danger for the whole world."
