U.S. joins Security Council in calling for nuclear-free Middle East

Without mentioning Israel by name, the group voiced support for the “full implementation” of a 1995 resolution intended to free the Middle East from nuclear arms. “We are committed to a full implemented of the 1995 NPT resolution on the Middle East and we support all ongoing efforts to this end,” the statement read. “We are ready to consider all relevant proposals in the course of the Review Conference in order to come to an agreed decision aimed at taking concrete steps in this direction.”…

Even while signing the statement – along with China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom – US officials stressed, however, that current circumstances in the Middle East would not allow for the immediate implementation of the 1995 resolution. “Making progress on a Middle East free of WMD will become all the more difficult if Iran continues to raise concerns in the region and beyond about the nature of its nuclear program,” a US official said.

The US, one of the original sponsors of the 1995 resolution, said comprehensive regional peace is key to a WMD-free zone. “It is unlikely that this will occur before Iran demonstrates that it has come back into compliance with its NPT and IAEA safeguards obligations,” a US official said.