Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr. 9 / Trend U.Sadikhova /
Israel intends to focus on the goals of the nuclear safety summit in Washington and will not discuss other issues, a source in the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission told Trend .
"The summit is aimed at discussing nuclear security, i.e. nuclear materials security against non-state actors, including terrorists, in line with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1540 adopted in 2004," the source said. "Israel is going to focus on the summit's goals, not to pollute them with other issues. We hope others will follow the same line to confront the important challenges of nuclear security."
Not Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as previously assumed, but rather Israeli Intelligence and Nuclear Energy Minister Dan Meridor will represent the country at the summit next week.
"We have decided to send Meridor to the summit," Israeli state representative Mark Regev told Trend .
Egypt's and Turkey's plans to raise the issue on Israel's alleged possession of atomic bombs and subject Netanyahu to criticism for his unwillingness to sign the Treaty on Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the main raison for canceling Netanyahu's trip, the BBC reported with reference to Israeli media.
However, the Israeli government has not issued a public comment on this issue, Regev said.
For many years, Israel's position was neither to confirm nor deny the existence of nuclear arsenal.
According to U.S. non-governmental experts, Tel Aviv may have about 80 atomic bombs.
Egypt and Turkey, which stand for the purification of the Middle East from nuclear weapons, are will demand that Israel to join the NPT ratified by 189 U.N. member states.
Israel, India, Pakistan and North Korea refused to accede to the NPT.
The next NPT Review Conference will be held in New York in May. However, Israel will not participate, the source added.
"Israel is not a member of the NPT and therefore will not participate. Naturally, Israel will not be obliged by the decisions made at that conference," the source said.
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