The United States National Security Adviser slammed the decision to single out Israel at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Conference on Friday, calling the move "gratuitous". According to Reuters, U.S. General James L. Jones spoke after the conclusion of the conference, where the U.S. accepted Arab demands to pressure Israel over its atomic program as part of a pact among NPT members to aim for a Middle East free of nuclear weapons.
A 28-page Final Declaration was passed by consensus on the last day of the month long conference.
"The failure of the resolution to mention Iran, a nation in longstanding violation of the NPT and UN Security Council Resolutions which poses the greatest threat of nuclear proliferation in the region and to the integrity of the NPT, is also deplorable," Jones stated.
U.S. President Barack Obama made similar remarks on Iran earlier on Friday, saying that its failure to live up to its nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations made it the greatest threat to proliferation in the Middle East. The American leader added that he 'strongly' opposed efforts to single out Israel on the issue of nuclear non-proliferation and would oppose actions that jeopardize Israel's national security.
The creation of a WMD-free zone would eventually force Israel to declare and abandon its atomic bombs. U.S. officials say such a zone could not be created without Mideast peace.
