Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Saturday called on Middle Eastern nations to take steps towards establishing a region free of nuclear weapons. Delegates at the nuclear watchdog's annual general conference in Vienna adopted a resolution calling on all states in the region to accept IAEA inspections, and to accede and adhere to the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which bans the development of nuclear arms. Eighty-two nations voted in favour of the resolution, none against and 13, including the United States and Israel, abstained. Pending the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons, countries should not "develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons," according to the resolution.
