CAIRO
Arab League Secretary-General Nabil al-Arabi has urged the international community to ratchet up pressure on Israel to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) following Tuesday’s landmark deal between world powers and Iran over the latter’s nuclear program.
In a Wednesday statement, al-Arabi described the deal between the P5+1 group of nations and Tehran as a “first step toward clearing the Middle East of all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons.”
He added: “It's high time for the international community to stop its policy of double-standards and shoulder its responsibility to pressure Israel to sign on to the NPT.”
The self-proclaimed Jewish state, which is not a signatory to the NPT, is widely believed to possess a nuclear arsenal.
Al-Arabi went on to voice hope that Tuesday’s deal on Iran's nuclear program would help bolster security and stability in the Middle East region.
The agreement, signed in Vienna, calls for the lifting of all sanctions on the Islamic republic in exchange for regular inspections of Iranian nuclear sites.
Under the deal’s terms, Iran – which insists it has no plans to produce nuclear weapons – will be recognized by the UN as having a peaceful nuclear program, including a complete uranium enrichment cycle.
