Israel denounces NPT 'hypocrisy' as Iran hails accord

Undeclared nuclear power Israel yesterday denounced the "hypocrisy" of a UN call for a nuclear-free Middle East that singled it out but ignored Iran, which is suspected of seeking the bomb and which welcomed the document.

"This accord has the hallmark of hypocrisy. Only Israel is mentioned, while the text is silent about other countries like India, Pakistan and North Korea, which have nuclear arms, or even more seriously, Iran, which is seeking to obtain them," a senior government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The fact that no reference is made to Iran is even more shocking, given that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has disclosed more and more information in recent months on the military character of Iranian nuclear projects," the official added.

Separately, an unnamed senior official was quoted on public radio as saying the decision was a "negative change for Israel", but also expressing doubt that it would lead to anything concrete. In New York last Friday, the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty's 189 signatory nations proposed new steps towards disarmament and making the Middle East free of atomic weapons.

Diplomats approved a document that laid out action plans on the three pillars of the treaty - disarmament, non-proliferation and promoting peaceful atomic energy.

The NPT called on Israel to join the treaty, which would oblige the Jewish state to do away with the nuclear weapons it is widely believed to have but does not acknowledge.

It mentioned "the importance of Israel's accession to the treaty and the placement of all its nuclear facilities under comprehensive IAEA safeguards." US President Barack Obama welcomed the statement as strengthening "the global non-proliferation regime," but said he "strongly" opposed singling out Israel.