The Wire

At the start of a two-day international summit on nuclear proliferation held in Sydney, International Atomic Energy head Mohamed El Baradei pointed to an extensive trade in radioactive materials. While China is the only country in East Asia with nuclear weapons, more than 50 research reactors and accelerators operate in 15 Asian nations. While Middle Eastern nations want Israel to give up its nuclear capability before beginning comprehensive talks. Israel insists that the peace process must be completed before it considers abandoning its atomic program. Michael Katerla spoke to Andrew Vincent, Director of the Centre for Middle East and North Africa Studies at the Macquarie University.