CBS News/ December 4, 2012, 1:54 AM

U.N. to Israel: Open nuclear program to inspection

AP

UNITED NATIONS The U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution Monday calling on Israel to quickly open its nuclear program for inspection and backing a high-level conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East that was just canceled.

All Arab nations and Iran had planned to attend the conference in mid-December in Helsinki, Finland, but the United States announced on Nov. 23 that it wouldn't take place, citing political turmoil in the region and Iran's defiant stance on nonproliferation. Iran and some Arab nations countered that the real reason for the cancellation was Israel's refusal to attend.

The resolution, approved by a vote of 174-6 with 6 abstentions, calls on Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "without further delay" and open its nuclear facilities to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Those voting "no" were Israel, the U.S., Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau.

Resolutions adopted by the 193-member General Assembly are not legally binding, but they do reflect world opinion and carry moral and political weight.

Israel refuses to confirm or deny it has nuclear bombs, though it is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal. It has refused to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, or NPT, along with three nuclear weapon states — India, Pakistan and North Korea.

The Arab proposal to create a weapons-of-mass-destruction-free zone in the Mideast, and to pressure Israel to give up its undeclared arsenal of perhaps 80 nuclear warheads, was endorsed at an NPT conference in 1995 but never acted on. In 2010, the 189 parties to the 1970 treaty called for convening a conference in 2012 on the establishment of a WMD-free zone in the Middle East.

The resolution, which was approved by the assembly's disarmament committee before the conference was cancelled, noted the decision to hold it "with satisfaction."

But Israel has long said there first must be a Mideast peace agreement before the establishment of a Mideast zone free of weapons of mass destruction. The region's Muslim nations argue that Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal presents the greatest threat to peace in the region.

The Israeli government had no immediate comment on Monday's General Assembly vote.

Just before Monday's vote, Iranian diplomat Khodadad Seifi told the assembly, "The truth is that the Israeli regime is the only party which rejected to conditions for a conference." He called for "strong pressure on that regime to participate in the conference without any preconditions."

Israeli diplomat Isi Yanouka said his country has continuously pointed to the danger of nuclear proliferation in the Mideast, singling out Iran and Syria by name.

"All these cases challenge Israel's security and cast a dark shadow at the prospect of embarking on a meaningful regional security process," he said.

"The fact that the sponsors include in this anti-Israeli resolution language referring to the 2012 conference proves above all the ill-intent of the Arab states with regard to this conference," Yanouka said.

Syrian diplomat Abdullah Hallak told the assembly his government was angry that the conference wasn't going to take place because of "the whim of just one party, a party with nuclear warheads."

"We call on the international community to put pressure on Israel to accept the NPT, get rid of its arsenal and delivery systems, in order to allow for peace and stability in our region," he said.

The conference's main sponsors are the U.S., Russia and Britain. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt has said it is being postponed, not cancelled.

While the United States voted against the resolution, it voted in favor of two paragraphs in it that were put to separate votes. Both support universal adherence to the NPT, and call on those countries that aren't parties to ratify it "at the earliest date." The only "no" votes on those paragraphs were Israel and India.

© 2012 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Turbidite says:
Good scoop CBS, KUDOS! No other major media outlet reported on this including BBC. They either were not paying attention or they else decided to avoid the principles of news reporting....or maybe something else like the political pressure that conceals the number of U.S. troops and government employees located in Israel.
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eileenfleming says:
Mordechai Vanunu, Israel's Nuclear Whistle Blower wrote:

"Those who are controlling world History, Found themselves miscalculating world events!

"The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Israel to quickly open its nuclear program for inspection and backed the Helsinki conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East. The resolution, approved by a vote of 174-6 with 6 abstentions, calls on Israel to join the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty "without further delay" and open its nuclear facilities to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Those voting "no" were Israel, the US, Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau."



Regarding the Helsinki conference to ban nuclear weapons from the Middle East, Vanunu wrote:

"The 2012 Helsinki Conference for the establishment of a Middle East zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction- is NOT happening as planned. The conveners -US, UK, UN, Russian Federation- issued statements claiming, "regret that the conference will not be convened this year."

"Why? What make them regret?..."



I responded:

"The 'regret' I take to mean that hypocrites in high places-from Peres to Obama, Bibi and Congress- and ALL states in between who play along with Israel's Nuclear Ambiguity/DECEPTIONS very much REGRET any more light shining on Israel's WMD."


The REST and MUCH MORE @
http://www.deliberation.info/mordechai-vanunu-responds-to-un-call-on-israel-to-open/
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Turbidite says:
Israel always privately claims that they need the nuclear capability because they are fighting for survival. It is the Palestinians that are fighting for survival. The Israelis are fighting for domination and annexation.
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friend2008 says:
* Israel always claims it is the only democratic country in the Middle East. Fine, the country gives their citizens the right to deny the Lord Almighty Himself. Moreover, they can deny anything or mock anyone, that's fine. However, denying the holocaust is a blasphemy and it leads the person to be behind the bars for years.

May anyone explain that for me?
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friend2008 says:
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkpoint-washington/2010/07/netanyahu_america_is_a_thing_y.html
(Netanyahu: 'America is a thing you can move very easily'. "I know what America is," Netanyahu told a group of terror victims, apparently not knowing his words were being recorded. "America is a thing you can move very easily, move it in the right direction. They won't get in their way." Netanyahu also bragged how he undercut the peace process when he was prime minister during the Clinton administration. July 16th, 2010)

A good diplomatic way to say, Americans are stupid and we can lead them.
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friend2008 says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1-_mpskz0A&feature=related
Israel Is Spying On The U.S., Stealing Technology & Bribing Congress
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friend2008 says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L033M6wqNCI
(Pat Buchanan, senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford. He added, "Iran doesn't frighten me and I do not think it should frighten American people. Iran does not have a bomb, they have not made a decision to build one, they do not have the means to deliver one, and the Israelis have 300 atomic bombs."
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friend2008 says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L033M6wqNCI
(Pat Buchanan, senior adviser to American Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford. Israeli government wants the United States to smash the Iran Nuclear program)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLjZoA3GaVE
(a former CIA officer. Historian Michael Scheuer, an author of "Through our enemies' eyes", who worked for the agency for over 20 years till 2004 and at one time was the chief of the CIA's 'Bin Laden unit',
"He said. " the leaders of Jewish American community in the United States who influence and corrput our congress in the United States.
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reasonable333 says:
You nailed youself, slow news. You are getting money from the arab propaganda. You probably sitting now in one of the dark arab countries, dream that you are in the United States. Well, after all these talkbacks, I'm going back to the reality (Sure that my country will overcome the fiscal cliff) and you will go back to dark reality of your dark country. Good evening everyone.
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reasonable333 says:
BS - you're getting money from the arab propaganda, slow news.
You dream to live in America.
And please don't speak of my great country. You are just another cheater. Well, I have news for you, slow news. America will beat the radical islam, and the world will be free.
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