ME region should be free from weapons of mass destruction

Meetings opened in Cairo of the committee in charge of following up Israeli nuclear activities in violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The participants will review over two days the dangers threatening the NPT system in the region as a result of Israel's strategic cooperation with a number of states that could spawn more risks, especially under the proposed US missile defense shield that could lead to a new nuclear armament race.

After the meeting, Palestine's delegate to the Arab League ambassador Mohammed Sobeih said, "We want the Middle East region free from weapons of mass destruction, especially the nuclear weapons."

He stressed that Israel's nuclear waste that is being buried in a small area posed a serious threat to the safety and security of the region, especially after an Israeli scientific committee predicted that a powerful earthquake could hit Israel.

"We have to imagine the consequences of an earthquake that hits Negev desert, where the nuclear wastes are buried using outdated technology and where the Dimona reactor stands," Sobeih said.

"That's why we want to subject the Israeli nuclear facilities to international inspection," he added.