Netanyahu cancels trip to Obama's nuclear summit
JERUSALEM, April 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned trip to Washington next week for President Barack Obama's 47-country nuclear security summit conference.
He made the decision after learning Egypt and Turkey intended to raise the issue of Israel's presumed nuclear arsenal at the conference, a senior government official said on Friday.
Israel is believed to be the only nuclear-armed power in the Middle East but has never confirmed or denied that it possesses atomic weapons. It has not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, or NPT.
Netanyahu saw Obama at the White House late last month for talks on the stalled Middle East peace process with the Palestinians, but they failed to see eye to eye and relations between the two leaders remain at a low ebb.
"The prime minister has decided to cancel his trip to Washington to attend the nuclear conference next week, after learning that some countries including Egypt and Turkey plan to say Israel must sign the NPT," the official said.
Israeli media said Netanyahu feared that Islamic countries attending the summit would try to shift its focus from nuclear terrorism to a concerted attack on his country's presumed nuclear weapons capacity.
-
Newsmax: Paper: Netanyahu 'Furious' with Obama over Iran Policy 30 May 2010 04:58 PM JERUSALEM — Washington's unprecedented backing for a UN resolution for a nuclear-free Middle East that singles out Israel has both angered and deeply worried...
-
Let's Review: Al Qaida has hurt us. Check. Al Qaida wants to hurt us again. Check. Al Qaida wants to get nukes. Check. Al Qaida wants to hurt us really badly. Check. It is a good thing to have a summit to keep nukes out of terrorists hands. Check....
- Israel: We Won't Solve The Iranian Problem For You
Newsmax: Israel Won't Bomb Iran: Foreign Minister Wednesday, June 3, 2009 8:09 AM MOSCOW -- Israel does not intend to bomb Iran, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday in the most explicit comments on the matter to date by a top minister of...
- Jerusalem Worried Over Breakdown Of U.s.-israel Cooperation Under Obama
Haaretz: Jerusalem worried over breakdown of U.S.-Israel cooperation under Obama By Aluf Benn and Barak Ravid Senior officials in Jerusalem expressed concern recently over the sharp decline in the coordination between Israel and the United States on security...
- Biden Warns Israel Not To Attack Iran
from Newsmax: Biden Warns Israel Not to Attack Iran Wednesday, April 8, 2009 1:15 PM by: Rick Pedraza Vice President Joe Biden issued a high-level warning to the Israeli government, saying it would be "ill-advised" to carry out a military strike against...