Egypt supports the proposal to hold International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) talks in November for Arab countries and Israel to discuss making the Middle East a nuclear weapons free zone, Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Hassan Younis said Wednesday. Younis said in a speech during the 55th session of the IAEA General Conference in Vienna that the ministry was committed to the IAEA's need to deal seriously with the nuclear threat in the Middle East, in order to maintain safety and security in the region. Younis said that Israeli nuclear facilities must be subject to comprehensive safeguards and that Egypt is moving once again to draft a resolution to apply safeguards in the Middle East. Such moves are gaining relevance in light of the international consensus about nuclear disarmament.
