''Mideast nuclear conference in jeopardy''

From AP

''Hopes dimmed Monday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms.

Because Israel has not signed the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, it was not present at Tuesday's gathering of treaty members. But the United States defended its ally, warning that singling out Israel for criticism diminished the prospect of a planned meeting between it and its Muslim neighbors to explore the prospect of a Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction.''

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