President Hosni Mubarak on the eve of the Nuclear Security Summit convened in Washington DC stressed that he fully supported United States President Barack Obama's efforts to make the world a safer place and to reduce the threat of nuclear war. Mubarak also praised the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) signed by the US and Russia, but he called on the US to put pressure on Israel to reduce its nuclear arsenal and make the Middle East a nuclear weapons free zone. President Mubarak stressed the solid bilateral relationship between Egypt and the US. In a letter to President Obama, delivered by Egypt's representative at the Washington Nuclear Security Summit Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit, Mubarak urged the US to ensure that the Middle East is free of all weapons of mass destruction. He noted that to secure peace in the region, Israel must sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty (NPT). In this respect, Mubarak noted that Egypt and most other countries in the region feel uncomfortable with Israel's attempt to hide the truth about its nuclear capabilities. No country is above international law. Israel must acknowledge that the other countries in the region have the right to live in peace. Israel's nuclear facilities should come under international supervision. The Washington summit is an opportunity for the world to bring Israel to book. The Israelis must understand that the entire world is watching how it conducts its nuclear political ambitions and that there is much consternation regarding the manner in which Israel gets away with its machinations to expand its nuclear arsenal. It is about time that the world understand that Israel poses a threat to the countries of the region. And, that Arab and Muslim states in the region feel threatened by Israel's nuclear prowess. From the start, Washington was not in favour of Israel possessing nuclear weapons but for a multitude of reasons was unable to stop it. It was France that gave Israel the wherewithal to proceed before realising the Pandora's Box it had unwittingly opened. Israel developed its nuclear weapons programmes clandestinely and the international community turned a blind eye despite the brave revelations of Israeli insider Mordechai Vanunu. But at last it seems the tables are turning. We must use the opportunity to put pressure on the real rogue state. The Cold War is over and Israel's cover is blown. The fundamental issue at stake at the moment is that Israel's nuclear capability should no longer be highly valued by Washington. With Obama at the helm, the Arab and Muslim world is hoping for a radical shift in the US Middle East strategy. What better place to start than with Israel's nuclear capability. President Mubarak has rightly taken on the onus of moving the Middle East process forward by calling for Israel to dismantle its nuclear arsenal and join the NPT. Washington, too, must play its part and coerce Israel into paying heed to its neighbours' security needs.
