Egypt walks out of NPT review conference

Egypt withdrew last week from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference, apparently out of frustration at inaction to create a nuclear-free Middle East. The withdrawal came during the recent NPT review conference in Geneva. The move raises concerns that because Israel possesses nuclear weapons - possibly as many as 200 warheads - Egypt may also now turn to atomic arms production. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying: "The goal of the Egyptian decision is to send a strong message that it does not accept the continued lack of seriousness in dealing with the issue of establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East." The ministry highlighted that the decision to postpone a conference to establish a zone free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East violated the decision made in the 2010 NPT conference to hold the conference in 2012.  Egypt continues to call on Israel to join the NPT and place all its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.