WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel’s delegation to President Obama’s nuclear security summit emphasized the Iran threat and the need to confront it with regional coordination.
"The greatest threat to peace is that the world’s most dangerous regimes and the world’s most dangerous terror groups would acquire the world’s most dangerous weapons," said the delegation’s summary statement, which was released Tuesday, the final day of the summit. "Israel acutely understands this threat because a regime that illicitly seeks nuclear weapons and openly calls for Israel’s destruction is supporting terror proxies that continuously attack Israel’s civilians with missiles, rockets and other means."
Obama’s goal at the conference, which featured 47 nations participating, was to consolidate commitments to identifying and securing the means to manufacture nuclear weapons.
"Israel looks forward to cooperating on further regional and international efforts to reduce the threat of nuclear terrorism," the Israeli statement said. "It is our hope that the successful implementation of the commitments undertaken by participants in this Summit will not only significantly reduce the risks of states and peoples vulnerable to nuclear terrorism, but will also greatly enhance the prospects for peace and stability in our region and around the world."
Other Middle Eastern delegations, including Jordan and Abu Dhabi, also raised the threat of a nuclear Iran in their meetings with U.S. officials.
One focus of the conference reportedly was to persuade the Turkish delegation to more pronouncedly oppose Iran’s suspected weapons program.
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