IAEA to discuss Israeli nuke program

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has begun a seven-day meeting to discuss a range of issues including Israel’s nuclear arsenal.

The UN atomic body chief, Yukiya Amano, opened the meeting in Vienna on Monday.

Israel has been under international pressure since the conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) urged Tel Aviv to sign the pact and place all its nuclear facilities under IAEA inspections.

The statement by the NPT members stressed “the importance of Israel’s accession to the treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards.”

Muslim nations want the meeting to focus on the issue of Israel’s nuclear weapons.

The meeting marks the first time since 1991 that the IAEA Board of Governors will discuss the Israeli nuclear arsenal.

Israel, widely believed to be the sixth-largest nuclear power in the world, is the sole possessor of an atomic arsenal in the Middle East.