IAEA calls for a nuclear free Middle East

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed its hope that the Middle East region will be a nuclear free zone.

IAEA Director General Mohamed El-Baradei as said in a speech he made at the opening session of the agency's annual meeting held in Vienna on Monday that there is a general agreement among the region's states that a nuclear-free Middle East will contribute to enhancing the Middle East's security and stability.

Al-Baradi expressed his hope that the current political climate in the region will "be conducive to progress in the attainment of these important goals."

He said he has expressed to the Middle East states "willingness to provide any assistance within my mandate and authority to States of the region in seeking to fulfil the objectives of successive General Conference resolutions."