<p>"The Arab Group urges to keep the item 'Israeli nuclear capabilities' on the agenda of the general conference and... will submit a draft resolution" to the assembly next week, Sudan's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Mahmound El-Amin said, speaking on behalf of 22 Arab states.<br /><br />"The Arab Group requests the IAEA member states to support the draft resolution and vote in favour of it."<br /><br />El-Amin made the statement to a closed-door session of the IAEA's 35-member board of governors which is preparing for the organisation's 54th annual general conference next week.<br /><br />Earlier, the United States and the European Union had pressed Arab countries to withdraw their resolution -- which calls on Israel to sign up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- so as not to jeopardise Middle East peace talks.<br /><br />Washington even flew in President Barack Obama's top nuclear advisor, Gary Samore, to Vienna earlier this week to try and persuade Arab nations to drop their plans.<br /><br />The IAEA, which is investigating both Iran and Syria for alleged illicit nuclear activity, used "double standards" when dealing with Israel and a recent report by agency chief Yukiya Amano on the matter was "weak and disappointing," El-Amin argued.<br /><br />It was "devoid of any substance and not up to the typical level of the agency's reporting" and that was why the Arab countries would not drop their resolution.<br /><br />Brussels and Washington believe that zeroing in on the Jewish state would jeopardise a proposed conference in 2012 on the creation of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.<br /><br />It could also have a negative effect on relaunched peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.<br /><br />Israel is believed to be the only Middle East power to possess nuclear weapons. Every year, Arab members of the IAEA table the same anti-Israeli resolution at the watchdog's week-long general conference, which brings together all 151 IAEA member states. Last year the Arab states succeeded in having it adopted by a very narrow majority.<br /><br /></p>
<p>"The Arab Group urges to keep the item 'Israeli nuclear capabilities' on the agenda of the general conference and... will submit a draft resolution" to the assembly next week, Sudan's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency Mahmound El-Amin said, speaking on behalf of 22 Arab states.<br /><br />"The Arab Group requests the IAEA member states to support the draft resolution and vote in favour of it."<br /><br />El-Amin made the statement to a closed-door session of the IAEA's 35-member board of governors which is preparing for the organisation's 54th annual general conference next week.<br /><br />Earlier, the United States and the European Union had pressed Arab countries to withdraw their resolution -- which calls on Israel to sign up to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty -- so as not to jeopardise Middle East peace talks.<br /><br />Washington even flew in President Barack Obama's top nuclear advisor, Gary Samore, to Vienna earlier this week to try and persuade Arab nations to drop their plans.<br /><br />The IAEA, which is investigating both Iran and Syria for alleged illicit nuclear activity, used "double standards" when dealing with Israel and a recent report by agency chief Yukiya Amano on the matter was "weak and disappointing," El-Amin argued.<br /><br />It was "devoid of any substance and not up to the typical level of the agency's reporting" and that was why the Arab countries would not drop their resolution.<br /><br />Brussels and Washington believe that zeroing in on the Jewish state would jeopardise a proposed conference in 2012 on the creation of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.<br /><br />It could also have a negative effect on relaunched peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.<br /><br />Israel is believed to be the only Middle East power to possess nuclear weapons. Every year, Arab members of the IAEA table the same anti-Israeli resolution at the watchdog's week-long general conference, which brings together all 151 IAEA member states. Last year the Arab states succeeded in having it adopted by a very narrow majority.<br /><br /></p>