Mediterranean WMD talks put on hold

Date: 08/12/05

Talks aimed at bringing together Israel and Arab states for the first time to discuss ridding the Mediterranean of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction have been postponed following the recent acrimonious Euromed summit in Barcelona.

Annalisa Giannella, foreign policy chief Javier Solana's personal representative on non-proliferation, said that the meeting would not now take place at the end of this month as planned.

Giannella said the climate was not right to forge ahead after the poorly attended Barcelona summit where EU, Arab and Israeli representatives failed to agree to a joint declaration.

"It is unlikely now [that the meeting will take place] before the end of the year," said Giannella. "The political environment is not very good, maybe if we wait one or two months then things will improve."

Although negotiations over the parameters of the meeting, which is being described tentatively as a 'workshop', have been sensitive, diplomats said that a deal was close to being concluded, with only one or two outstanding points.

"There are some problems with the terms of reference for the meeting," Giannella confirmed, but refused to go into further detail.

The meeting, originally scheduled for June, had been delayed because of Israeli fears that it would be used to attack the country over its alleged nuclear stockpiles.

Algeria and Egypt are described by non-proliferation think-tanks SIPRI and FirstWatch International as "countries of nuclear strategic concern".

The meeting on weapons of mass destruction was expected to be the next major political project of Euromed following the agreement of a code of conduct on terrorism agreed in Barcelona.

But with Israel now entering an election campaign, the meeting looks like being put on hold until the new year.

Article reports that after the failure of the Euro-Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona in December 2005 talks were postponed which should have brought together Israel and Arab states for the first time to discuss ridding the Mediterranean of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction.

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