24 September 2010
UNITED NATIONS (BNO NEWS) – Israel on Friday defeated the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) resolution that demanded Israel to accede to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and place its nuclear facilities under IAEA’s guidelines.
Israeli President Shimon Peres expressed his satisfaction after preventing the Arab-backed resolution to be put forward. The resolution, introduced during the annual meeting of the IAEA in Vienna, was rejected by a 51-46 vote.
“This has been another ill attempt to slander Israel in the international area. Following weeks of preparation and with the support of the United States, the European Union and other friendly countries, the resolution has been rejected, and for that Israel is thankful,” Peres added.
Israeli officials said that the vote results indicate a growing frustration inside the IAEA as the agency has been unable to deal with the real threats to international and regional security, like Iran and Syria. It also demonstrated that Israel is not alone.
During his visit in New York, President Peres attended the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to participate in the summit. He took advantage of the opportunity and held an intensive series of meetings with world leader to discuss ongoing efforts in the matter.
Peres met with Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla; Japanese Prime Minsiter Naoto Kan, UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Croatian president Ivo Josipovic, Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, among others.
During the meetings, Peres discussed the Israeli position on the IAESA resolution as well as the ongoing efforts. Several leaders declare that they intended to change their votes against the Arab proposal.