NPT nations agree to work towards nuclear-free Mideast Nearly 200 nations, signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – NPT, have agreed to work towards a nuclear-weapons-free zone in the Middle East. The members, meeting at the UN in New York, called for a conference in 2012 attended by Middle Eastern states – including Iran – to establish the zone. The document unanimously agreed yesterday also said that Israel should sign the NPT. US President Barack Obama backed the deal but said he was strongly opposed to Israel being singled out. The US says the reference could jeopardise efforts to persuade the Israelis to attend the 2012 talks. An Israel official later denounced the document as "hypocrisy". The 28-page final declaration was agreed by 189 member states following intense talks on the last day of a month-long conference on strengthening the NPT, the cornerstone of global disarmament efforts. The document calls for the United Nations secretary general to organise a meeting of Middle East states in 2012 to agree to the creation of a "zone free of nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction". Conference president Libran Cabactulan of the Philippines said all eyes the world over are watching as the final text was approved. Speaking for the Non-Aligned Movement of 118 developing nations, Egypt's Maged Abedelaziz welcomed the decision, saying it was an important step forward towards the realisation of the goals and objectives of the treaty.