U.S., Russia back Israel at meeting

VIENNA -- Russia has joined the U.S. and Britain in backing Israel's view that the Middle East cannot be turned into a zone free of nuclear arms without progress on peace in the region.

The three nations told a meeting on the issue Tuesday that such zones "do no exist in isolation from other security factors."

That dovetails with Israel's view that peace must prevail in the Middle East before it can be made into a nuclear-free zone. But it clashes with the Arab position that the two issues are separate. The Arabs say Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal is the biggest threat to Mideast peace.

The statement to the closed meeting was made available to The Associated Press.