Russia joins U.S., Britain in backing Israel's opposition to nuclear-free Mideast

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Russia has joined the U.S. and Britain in backing Israel's view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a zone free of nuclear arms without progress on peace in the region.

The three stations told dozens of representatives from the Middle East and the international community gathered Tuesday at the United Nations nuclear watchdog's headquarters in Vienna that such zones "do no exist in isolation from other security factors."

That dovetails with Israel's view that peace must prevail in the Middle East before it can be made into a nuclear free zone. But it clashes with the Arab position that the two issues are separate. The Arabs say Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal is the biggest threat to Mideast peace.

The statement to the closed meeting was made available to The Associated Press. The first meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency dealing with a nuclear-free Middle East assembled on Monday, with Israeli representatives describing the Arab nations' criticism of Israeli nuclear policy as unexpectedly sedate.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/russia-joins-u-s-britain-in-backing-israel-s-opposition-to-nuclear-free-mideast-1.397067