Mubarak's initiative on Middle East free of nuclear weapons

The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference kicked off Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York with 187 countries participating. The one-month gathering will discuss nuclear arms race in the Indian sub-continent, the nuclear situation in the Middle East, President Hosni Mubarak's initiative to free the Middle East region of weapons of mass-destruction and development of ballistic missiles during the past few years. A resolution is expected calling on Israel to join NPT and to give up its nuclear weapons in order to render the Middle East region free of nuclear weapons.

Egypt is represented by Ambassador Ahmed Abul-Gheit, Egypt's permanent delegate to the United Nations, an official statement said.