Finland has agreed to host a potentially divisive international conference next year on ridding the Middle East of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations said on Friday, Reuters reported.
The idea for such a conference came from Egypt, which pushed for a conference with all states in the Middle East − including arch-enemies Israel and Iran − to negotiate a treaty that would establish a nuclear arms-free zone.
In a reversal from the previous U.S. administration, President Barack Obama agreed last year to join with the NPT's four other nuclear powers − Britain, France, Russia and China − in backing the demand of Egypt and other Arab states to organize an anti-WMD conference and to encourage Israel to participate.