Hans Blix: Growth of Nuclear Proliferation Tied to Bush Administration Policies

Former IAEA Director-General Hans Blix says that President Bush's nuclear policies are responsible for worldwide nuclear proliferation. In an interview in the German daily Die Welt, Blix said that "The U.S. has sent a signal of arrogance, a signal that the rest of the world should do what the U.S. demands but the U.S. is above it all and can do what they like."

Blix stressed that the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was not falling apart. "The death of NPT is highly exaggerated. Both the problems of Libya and Iraq have been solved. North Korea and Iran are countries open to negotiations," Blix said. "The real threat to the NPT comes from the failure of the large nuclear states to live up to their obligation under the treaty to disarm. There is an unease by the non-nuclear states that they are being cheated by the nuclear states."