Israeli PM decides to skip Washington summit on NFW
Saturday, 10 April 2010
From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, April 09: It was no coincident that Israel's hawkish prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that he is not going to attend the Washington summit on nuclear free world (NFW) the same day President Barack Obama of the US and President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia formalised the deal on nuclear arms control.
There was no official explanation about the cancellation but the New York Times (NYT) quoting reports from Israeli media said "Prime Minister (Netanyahu) feared that Muslim states are planning on using the occasion to raise the question of Israel's nuclear arsenal." Israel is the only nuclear armed power in the Middle East but has refused to discuss the issue.
More than 50 nations will attend the summit. President Obama is hoping to reach an agreement on "securing vulnerable nuclear stockpiles" in an attempt to keep them safe from the "terrorists." Israel has also torpedoed Washington's bid to create two independent states of Palestine and Israel by expanding the scheme of new settlements in the occupied Arab territories.
An atmosphere of celebration greeted the signing of agreement between US and Russia.
Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation, President Obama said. President Medvedev called the treaty a truly historic one that would open a new page. No one stands to lose from the agreement, Russian president asserted.
There has been dramatic change in another nuclear powered state, Pakistan The lower house of Pakistan's National Assembly yesterday adopted an epoch-making constitutional amendment vesting more power on the Prime Minister and the Parliament by clipping President's sweeping power. The amendments were carried out with the consent of President Asif Ali Zardari who wants to buy the silence of his political adversaries who have been demanding the revival of corruption cases against him that were withdrawn by former president Musharraf. The President's office will become a ceremonial one.
NEW YORK, April 09: It was no coincident that Israel's hawkish prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing that he is not going to attend the Washington summit on nuclear free world (NFW) the same day President Barack Obama of the US and President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia formalised the deal on nuclear arms control.
There was no official explanation about the cancellation but the New York Times (NYT) quoting reports from Israeli media said "Prime Minister (Netanyahu) feared that Muslim states are planning on using the occasion to raise the question of Israel's nuclear arsenal." Israel is the only nuclear armed power in the Middle East but has refused to discuss the issue.
More than 50 nations will attend the summit. President Obama is hoping to reach an agreement on "securing vulnerable nuclear stockpiles" in an attempt to keep them safe from the "terrorists." Israel has also torpedoed Washington's bid to create two independent states of Palestine and Israel by expanding the scheme of new settlements in the occupied Arab territories.
An atmosphere of celebration greeted the signing of agreement between US and Russia.
Today is an important milestone for nuclear security and non-proliferation, President Obama said. President Medvedev called the treaty a truly historic one that would open a new page. No one stands to lose from the agreement, Russian president asserted.
There has been dramatic change in another nuclear powered state, Pakistan The lower house of Pakistan's National Assembly yesterday adopted an epoch-making constitutional amendment vesting more power on the Prime Minister and the Parliament by clipping President's sweeping power. The amendments were carried out with the consent of President Asif Ali Zardari who wants to buy the silence of his political adversaries who have been demanding the revival of corruption cases against him that were withdrawn by former president Musharraf. The President's office will become a ceremonial one.