Israel, US at odds on nuclear treaty draft

Israel made a last-minute effort to dissuade the United States from submitting for discussion the draft, which was on Thursday presented to the UN disarmament commission in Geneva, the liberal Haaretz daily said.

The Jewish state -- widely believed to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East -- is worried about any move that could undercut its policy of nuclear ambiguity and generate future pressures on its activities.

Haaretz also said Washington rejected an Israeli request to purchase previously denied civilian nuclear technology, similar to an agreement with India, which like Israel has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Israeli officials questioned by AFP refused to make any comment on the front-page Haaretz article.

The United States Thursday submitted the draft treaty to the Geneva disarmament conference on an international ban on producing fissile material such as uranium and plutonium for military purposes.

It was the first occasion that Washington had submitted a disarmament proposal since the end of the Cold War at the beginning of the 1990s.

The US draft does not cover stocks of fissile material and thus does not propose banning use of fissile material produced before the proposed treaty eventually enters into force.

Even if the draft is adopted, the treaty would not be able to halt Iran's alleged quest to acquire nuclear weapons since Tehran is adamant that it is enriching uranium solely for civilian purposes.