Azerbaijan, Baku, June 11 /Trend, U.Sadikhova/
Non-Aligned Movement countries and the Arab states rigidly required the IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano to prepare a report on supposed nuclear weapons of Israel and compel it to provide data on nuclear potential," said Iran's representative to the IAEA Ali Asker Soltaniye.
For the first time after 20 years, the question about Israel's nuclear program was raised in Vienna at the level of heads of delegations to the IAEA.
"Today's meeting of the IAEA is the second pressure on Israel after the conference in New York to review the NPT [Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons]. Today, Israel is under strong external pressure," Soltaniye, who attends the meeting, said in an interview with Trend.
He said the reason for the rigid demands of most IAEA member countries was the latest events around the "flotilla of freedom".
A week ago, Israeli naval forces intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea six ships coming with the humanitarian aid and the delegation of human rights activists in blockaded Gaza Strip. During the operation, nine members of "flotilla of freedom" were killed, dozens were injured and hundreds were imprisoned and later deported. The international community has demanded a speedy investigation of these events.
The Iranian representative to the IAEA said that in today's discussions in Vienna, most countries, except the U.S. and some European countries, have agreed that Israel should join the NPT and place its nuclear reactors under IAEA control.
A similar decision was contained in the final statement of the New York conference in May, said Soltaniye.
All members of Non-Aligned Movement, which unites 118 countries worldwide on the principle of non-participation in military blocs, which is currently headed by Egypt, voted 'for'.
According to Arab states and Turkey, the "shadow" policy of Israel over the supposed nuclear facilities on its territory is a stumbling block in establishing a nuclear-free zone in the Middle East in accordance with 1995 NPT resolution. Israel does not deny, but does not recognize the possession of nuclear weapons and refuses any international cooperation in this field, including adherence to the NPT, along with India and Pakistan.
Israel believes that the policy of "nuclear silence" corresponds to the national interest of any state, if it does not undermine the security and stability in the region.