SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt: The Arab League chief on Monday said U.S. charges that Iran wants to build nuclear weapons had no credibility in the Arab world and demanded that the allegation be supported by proof from the UN nuclear watchdog. Amr Moussa further declared that Arabs want the whole region to be free of nuclear weapons, including the arsenal Israel is believed to possess. The Middle East does not need a military nuclear program, be it Iranian, Israeli or other, Moussa told a news conference at the World Economic Forum meeting on the Middle East. Our goal and interest is to have a Middle East free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. The United States has accused Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon and is supported in its demands by Britain, France and Germany that Tehran stop enriching uranium. The U.S. and its European allies are pushing for a UN Security Council resolution that would demand that Iran stop enrichment or face possible sanctions, including military enforcement. Iran claims its nuclear program is designed purely to generate electricity. Enriched uranium can fuel reactors to produce power, but, if sufficiently processed, also can serve as the core of an atomic bomb. Iran was absent from the three-day meeting of global business and political leaders in this flourishing Egyptian Red Sea resort, which ends Monday afternoon. The meetings focused on dialogue, democracy and development in the Middle East. Moussa s words on Israel, which is believed to have a stockpile of nuclear weapons, echoed the complaints of most Arab leaders and the general public. Moussa and other Arab leaders ask why the West overlooks Israel s alleged weapons development, while pressing Iran to drop a program it claims is for peaceful purposes. Why should Israel be special? Moussa asked. We re all scared of a nuclear weapon, whether it is with country A or country B. He said Arabs were unconvinced by U.S. charges and European concerns over Iran given what they see as a double standard. For this reason, the policy aimed at the Iranian nuclear program does not enjoy credibility and comprehensive support in the Middle East, he said. Moussa said Iran and other Middle Eastern countries that have signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty had the right to develop civilian nuclear power programs, but weapons production was banned. If there is an Iranian military nuclear program - and I underline if - (proof of) it should be based on documented information from the International Atomic Energy Agency, not on information coming from here and there, he said. Moussa said he had no confidence in the current claims, emanating from Washington and Israel. It has been proven in the Iraq war that there was information that was deliberately or inadvertently false. ... Information must come from an international organization that is credible and responsible, he said. His remarks made reference to the Bush administration s use of claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction as a rationale for invading the country and removing him from power in 2003. The weapons allegations proved false. Syria and Hamas, the militant group that is in control of the Palestinian government after winning elections in January, also were absent from the Sharm meetings. Iran s nuclear program, Syria and its troubles with the United Nations, and Hamas with its aid boycott by the United States and European Union are among some of the most contentious issues in the region and the absence of the three shunted those important questions to the sidelines. Iran has been a regular participant at the main World Economic Forum gathering in Davos, Switzerland, but skipped the regional session at Sharm El-Sheikh. Syria, under suspicion in the assassination of a former Lebanese leader and accused of not doing enough to stop insurgents from crossing into Iraq, also stayed away. A Syrian Foreign Ministry official said Syria was invited but did not attend because Israel was participating, particularly because the forum was taking place in an Arab country. The Palestinian invitation to the first of the forum s Middle East conferences to be hosted by Egypt went to President Mahmoud Abbas, who is at loggerheads with the Hamas-led government. The Palestinian president met on the fringes of the conference with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Vice Premier Shimon Peres. Abbas said he told Livni that the two sides must restore regular contact and work toward resuming peace talks. Israeli officials said the two discussed preparations for a summit between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert once Olmert returns from a trip to Washington. AP
