Iranian nuclear reactor
Photo: Reuters
Egypt links nuclear test ban to Israel
Country relates decision on ratification of Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty to Israeli decision to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit says nuclear danger continues to threaten every state in region other than Israel had signed and observed the NPT
Egypt has linked a decision on ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) to an Israeli decision to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty, the Egyptian state news agency MENA said on Saturday.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit set the condition in a response to Tibor Toth, the new executive secretary of the commission which oversees the CTBT, it said.
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"The minister said that Egyptian ratification of the treaty was linked to the extent of developments that may occur in regional and international circumstances, including the possibility that Israel may join the NPT," the agency said.
Egypt is one of 44 states which are deemed capable of producing nuclear weapons and which need to ratify the 1996 test ban treaty before it comes into force. Eleven of the 44 have not ratified, including Egypt, Israel and Iran in the Middle East.
The treaty bans all nuclear weapons tests, while the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) aims to prevent new countries developing nuclear weapons.
The Egyptian agency said Toth wrote to Egypt to say he hoped Cairo would sign the treaty in time for a conference in New York in September.
Aboul Gheit replied that a nuclear danger continued to threaten the region and every state in the region other than Israel had signed and observed the NPT.
Israel has never admitted it has a nuclear weapons program but is widely believed to have some 200 nuclear warheads.