SUPPOSE THEY DO SPEAK OUT?--WHO'S LISTENING?:

Who's to blame?: At a Cairo conference, Mohamed El-Baradei was criticised for his role in nuclear inspections in Iraq, while Israel remains free of blame. The IAEA director-general argued his case. (Aziza Sami, 22 - 28 April 2004, Al Ahram Weekly)

Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El-Baradei...countered allegations that the IAEA has succumbed to the disproportionate influence wielded by the US and its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He asserted that such questions are based on an "erroneous reading, or ignorance of the facts", cautioning that they incite unwarranted suspicion of the IAEA.

CSDC's Mustafa Kamel El-Sayed quickly laid on the table the contentious issues at the onset of the meeting. He questioned whether "joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by some countries and not others has caused a dysfunction. At a time when Israel -- which has not signed the treaty -- possesses nuclear arms, Egypt, which has, is not even able to construct nuclear reactors for peaceful purposes." El- Sayed contended that "those who join the treaty are rewarded with punitive measures, while those who do not are absolved and allowed to engage in nuclear blackmail, as is the case of Israel and Pakistan." He pointed out the discrepancy of "having Iraq and Iran induced into submitting to inspections, while Israel's file remains suspended".

El-Baradei, who since the build-up to the war on Iraq has consistently projected the persona of the impartial technocrat, strongly criticised what he described as the Arab countries' "emotive and non-realistic approach" to the issue of Israel's nuclear disarmament.

He said that "the door has been closed [on the question of nuclear armament] by the international community manifest in UN Security Council's [resolution]". Reiterating a call he had recently made in opinion articles published in the Western press, the IAEA director-general asserted that a "strategic dialogue" between the Arab countries and Israel is incumbent "today [rather than] tomorrow". He said that "opportunity [was] lost" when clauses on nuclear disarmament were not included in either the Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel, or the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.

He stressed that "Israel sees that it cannot give up its weapons of mass destruction [WMD] in the absence of comprehensive peace, as long as there are countries or individuals that say that it will be 'thrown into the sea', and that its existence is not recognised in the region."

El-Baradei lambasted what he described as the backward "state of development" of the Arab countries, and the prevalent attitudes of constant "self-victimisation" and "always asking the attainment of peace from others instead of working towards achieving it ourselves". The Arab countries have yet to create a "civilisational project allowing them to attain the necessary balance of interests needed to persuade Israel that it is in its interest to disarm", El-Baradei said. "We must see how we can convince Israel that it is in its interest to have a Middle East free of WMD. After the events of Libya and Iran, it is time to start this strategic dialogue."

Wow! Why isn't that front page material?

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 18, 2004 7:29 AM